Health Systems Strengthening in the UK

"The UK's role in helping other countries with their health reforms shows that this is a natural focus for the country's diplomatic efforts and soft-power relations". 

Chatham House


The UK is well placed in helping health systems lay the tracks they need to bring better care for all parts of their populations. There are over 75 UK organisations supporting Health Systems Stengthening who are ready to partner internationally in our UK offer.  Underpinning this is the NHS Long Term Plan driving our health system forward so that in 10 years' time we have a service fit for the future. 

 70+ years of experience and expertise of the NHS designing, delivering and innovating care

1st....                                 UK ranking in the Commonweatlh Fund Health Systems

2014, 2015, 2017 

"Any array of initiatives that improves one or more of the functions of the health systems and that leads to better health through improvements in access, coverage, quality or efficiency”

World Health Organisation

Top 5 Solutions from the NHS and the private sector 

• An integrated model of care focused on the patient, built and developed over 70 years - draws together expertise in healthcare financing, policy & strategy, regulation and clinical guidelines to create comprehensive healthcare systems.

•Nationally coordinated workforce planning – monitoring of healthcare workforce, accreditation of training programmes, delivery of speciality education and continuous professional development.

•Organised system from with sophisticated data collection, over 70 years, for direct care, service planning and research - Rich data sources enable digital technology ecosystem such as teleconsultations, self care and care management and a highly diverse private sector.

•Primary care and public health - foundations of the NHS from education and professional development through to organisation and commissioning services, enabling patients to access all NHS services.

•Innovation - quick systematic delivery of innovation through organisations like NHSx, Accelerated Access Collaborative, NIHR, NICE and AHSN’s. The rapid adoption of new approaches, genomics - sequencing, research, personalised healthcare and prevention, emerging challenges - sustainability, cutting edge infrastructure and pandemic response. 

POLICY

We have award winning integrated care systems across the country and can evidence transformation betweeen primary and secondary care.  Organisations can provide improvements underpinned by values including:

 

 

  • Enabling everyone to get the best start in life regardless of who they are or where they live
  • Helping communities to live well by being able to impact on the service they receive
  • Helping people to age well by tackling age related illnesses and keeping people well in the community

STRATEGY

The NHS has a long track record in delivering world-class care to the UK population. Having a clear strategy nationally is key to ensuring that all elements work together to deliver clear objectives.

The UK can help other countries to develop a clear and comprehensive strategy for delivering and improving healthcare systems. This approach will help delivery a comprehensive prevention agenda or the most appropriate care, to the right patients at the right time.

REGULATION AND CLINICAL GUIDELINES 

The UK has extensive experience and expertise in developing healthcare guidelines.  This approach enables the UK to provide valuable insights to international partner countries and organisations when developing and implementing their own methods and processes.

Using the wide experience of the NHS, the UK can help countries to effectively allocate health and social care resources and make evidence-based decisions. 

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

At any one time the NHS has 160,000 students studying to become one of over 300 different types of professionals. The UK maintains world class professional standards and provides:

 

  • Guidance on national workforces strategies 
  • Introduction of specialists clinical education and training services
  • Placement services in the NHS to help build clinical expertise

INNOVATION

Industry, academia, government the NHS and charity health fudners have co-designed the future of the sector with a shared vision and continued partnership working in the sector. Leading universities, a skilled workforce and a track record in delivering Nobel Prize winning science. The UK has an ecosystem of quick systematic delivery innovation through organisations like NHSx, Accelerated Access Collaborative, NIHR, NHS Digital , NICE and Academic Health Science Networks and the NHS and the NHS Innovation Accelerator.

 

   The NHS and UK Private sector can provide:

 

  • Strategy support for the creation of a national innovation infrastructure 
  • Consultancy on development of national and local strategies to foster innovation and creation of sustainable healthcare systems
  • Genomics service

PRIMARY CARE

The UK is known around the world for the qualityof its Primary Care and its availability without cost to all citizens.  Out of 10 healthcare contacts are made. Primary care in the UK is the central part of an integrated system which provides continuity and co-ordination whilst acting as the gatekeeper for access to specialist hospital care. 

 

   The UK can help with:

 

  • Training Primary Care clinicians through establised, world leading training  
  • Advisory support to continually improve services through new care models and service transformation 
  • Specialists Primary Care technology systems

PUBLIC HEALTH & PREVENTION 

The NHS Long Term Plan aims to support people to live longer, healthier lives by helping them to make healthier lifestyle choices and treating illness at an early stage.

 

   UK services can provide:

 

  • Introduction of national and local systems to improve population health, prevent disease and reduce the burden of disease for individuals and economies  
  • Strategies and advisory to support public health protection and improvement interventions 
  • Delivery of screening services to prevent and manage NCDs, physical and mental health

DATA & DIGITAL

The UK has extensive experience to support digital and data transformation and tying technology to improve patient outcomes. NHSx is a new joint unit to combine talent in industry, government and NHS to drive the benefits of modern technology to every patient and clinician.

 

   UK organisations can provide:

 

  • Advisory support to develop nationwide, regional and local digital health strategies  
  • Consultancy support to implant digital health systems (e.g. electronic patient records)
  • Transformation of health services through technology (e.g. remote monitoring)
  • Designing innovations to support screening and self-management of disease

ANCILLARY OFFERS

PANDEMIC RESPONSE

The covid-19 pandemic showed the UK at the forefront of innovations and capabilities in pandemic preparedness.

Areas that the UK can provide support for the health system include:

  • Vaccines Deployment strategy
  • Research and development opportunities 
  • National management immunisation services 

 

INFRASTRUCTURE

UK designers and deliverers of healthcare buildings have great experience of designing them efficiently in the context of the wider healthcare system alongside:

  • Relevant technologies that facilitate remote diagnostics, monitoring and care
  • Relevant strategies attuned to the net zero agenda and the minimising of costs.
  • Relevant approaches to meet the needs to prevent and control infection

SUSTAINABILITY & CLIMATE CHANGE

The nhs became the first national health systems to commit to become 'carbon net zero', backed by clear deliverables and milestones by 2040. The NHS has adopted a multilayer plan to become the world's first carbon zero system.

Examples include reducing the use of single-use plastics with Great Ormond Street Hospital, increasing usage of alternative surgical anaesthesia (e.g. lower carbon alternative sevoflurane), and utilising zero-emission courier services.

EDUCATION & TRAINING

As the world's largest integrated healthcare system, the UK's NHS is matching the healthcare needs of growing, ageing populations by developing world-renowned education and training programmes. These programmes deliver the health professionals needed to meet demand today and in the future. 

The UK education and training sector is well positioned to provide the following:

  • Multidisciplinary clinical education & training
  • Healthcare leadership & management training
  • Consultancy & advisory services
  • Bespoke education & training

Case Studies

International Health Technology Assessments - NICE

Health is a devolved matter in the Philippines, and therefore, local government units have the capacity to procure health interventions at the local level.  In February 2019, the Philippines government enacted Republic Act No. 11223, or the Universal Health Care Act.  This Act required different stakeholders to understand, have capacity and training, and be committed to their role in the health technology assessment process (HTA). 

Solution

NICE International, through its membership of the NHS Consortium, in the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) Better Health Programme, delivered a technical exchange. This activity included a series of seminars and workshops with the addition of an academic HTA round table between the HTA unit, the Philippine Department of Health, the HTA Council (a decision-making committee), and local government units. 

Conclusion

The Philippine Department of Health has published the country’s first HTA methods and process guides, developed a rapid process for evaluating COVID-19 technologies and stated its intention to develop a network with academics in the country.

HEE Strategic Reforms for Kyrgyzstan

The World Health Organisation (WHO) in Kyrgyzstan received a request from the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Kyrgyz Republic to review its clinical bases accreditation system. 

 

Solution

In 2021, Health Education England (HEE) provided strategic advice advice to the Kyrgyzstan Ministry of Health on their proposed clinical education accreditation reforms as part of the 'Healthy Person - Propsperous Country 2030' Strategy. 

The Global Health Partnerships team hosted a series of roundtables and workshops to understand the system and collaboratively identify areas for development. HEE presented recommendations focused on empowering clincial sites through an outcomes-based accreditation system, facilitating continuous quality improvement, improving trainee and supervisor feedback mechanisms, and reviewing the underpinning financial flows. These recommendations were developed for regionaly pilot programmes to support implementation. 

 

Conclusion

Thanks to the expertise of the HEE team, the Ministry of Health and Social Development received comprehensive recomendations to enhance its current accreditation system and most importantly decided to continue working in this direction.