Our Four Key Ambitions

Building on our previous developments, our 2019 Five Year Plan set out four key priorities.

The COVID-19 pandemic slowed down some of our work initially but we now back on track and using our learning to improve our thinking and approach to transformation. We will be refreshing our plan in the light of our learning and the expected legislation to establish ICS’ as a statutory authority.

Healthy life expectancy is lower in South Yorkshire compared to the national average.

We will:

  • Tackling health inequalities and helping people to have the best start in life.
  • Improving mental health and wellbeing
  • Tackling the ‘burden of illness’ will ensure we are supporting our prevention work to reduce ill-health and early deaths caused by smoking, alcohol and obesity.
  • Support the early diagnosis and increased survival from cancer
  • Wider determinants of health – such as education and employment – will be included in our healthcare planning to support individuals, families, and larger populations (e.g. schools).
  • Advancements to improve the quality of care and outcomes in key areas such as cancer, children’s and maternity services, and mental health and learning disabilities.

We want to make the NHS in South Yorkshire the best place to work.  This can be achieved in-part through the development of a flexible workforce.

We will continue to build on successes in digital innovation and using the public voice.

  • Addressing nursing shortages through the allocation and supply across the System.
  • Improving our leadership culture while introducing new roles and rostering.
  • Fast-track digital innovation and digitally enabled care – such as virtual GP appointments - across our Five Places.
  • Increase the involvement of our local citizens and welcome diversity and minority voices into the conversations we have to build a better future.

We are rethinking how services and organisations work together to improve patient experience, outcomes and access.

  • There are now 30 Primary Care Networks (PCNs), all preparing to extend the range of convenient local services. They’ve already created integrated teams of GPs, community health and social care staff to make communication between teams and services easier and more efficient.
  • Provide support to people in their own homes.
  • Reducing the pressures on Accident and Emergency (A&E). Urgent treatment centres have been launched already in two of our Places.
  • Give patients more options, more control and more joined-up care at the right time in the best care setting. This includes increasing patient access to their medical records.
  • We will take forward the recently formed Hospital Hosted Networks to ensure everyone has the same high quality standards and equal access.
  • Alternative modes of health appointment delivered online, by phone or video.

The ICS is a partnership of many ‘anchor’ institutions including hospitals, local councils, and universities, so the long-term sustainability of these organisations is tied to the wellbeing of the populations they serve. We will:

  • Support this through our influence nationally and across the regions.
  • We want to build on the role we play in the local and regional economy.
  • Strengthening the connections we have in Neighbourhoods and in Place with our local authorities and the voluntary sector.
  • Given that much of the transformation work already takes place locally in our five places, we will continue to work together with our long-established partners.