Unveiling a Strategic Partnership between TSA and DHC

3​1 July 2023

In a promising collaboration poised to significantly enhance digital healthcare, TSA and the Digital Healthcare Council (DHC) have recently partnered to pioneer a new path towards modernising healthcare services.

For the past three months, the two organisations have been diligently collaborating to gain a deeper understanding of how Integrated Care Systems (ICS) intend to leverage technology to enhance their offerings.

The catalyst for this journey stemmed from the Health and Care Act 2022, which mandated all 42 Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to create and publicise their integrated care strategies. As per the directive, by June 30th, 2023, these ICBs were tasked to generate a comprehensive five-year Joint Forward Plan (JFP) outlining their proposals to serve their populations' needs.

Through a carefully structured process, TSA and DHC undertook the analysis of the available integrated care strategies, vetting them against certain criteria aimed at identifying systems that strategically plan to intensify their use of technology. This assessment examined whether the strategies directly referenced digital technology in service provision beyond the scope of shared care records.

Furthermore, the review considered whether the strategies mentioned the application or future use of remote monitoring or virtual wards. Crucially, the strategies were evaluated on their intent to deliver proactive, preventative, and personalised care. The apex of this exploration was identifying if these strategies recognised the role of technology as an enabler for such ambitious healthcare delivery.

As we move forward, a select group system leaders will be invited to a roundtable discussion in early October. This forum will provide an opportunity to delve into how these systems have seamlessly integrated digital technology into their strategies and service models, with a focus on understanding the role of co-production in this process.

Following this dialogue, TSA and DHC will publish a short paper detailing the findings and valuable insights gained from this partnership, setting a beacon for other systems to follow.

This landmark collaboration between TSA and DHC symbolises a new era in digital healthcare, marking a critical step towards proactive, preventative, personalised and, most importantly, technology-enabled healthcare delivery.