全球智库信息集成服务系统

Delivery on overarching aims

The three Southern Cluster UEC vanguards have each been pursuing ambitious goals to transform the UEC landscape in their regions and provide more efficient and effective services. Despite a reduction in originally anticipated resources for vanguard activity, progress has been made across core activities.

• Clinical hubs are operational across the sites.
• Direct booking capacity into primary care is progressing more with out-of-hours than with in-hours services.
• Gradual but variable progress has been made towards joint planning and governance of UEC services.
• Efforts to ensure seamless data sharing between UEC providers, and an interoperable IT infrastructure, are progressing somewhat slower than originally hoped.

Other areas of progress relate to site-specific developments.

Drivers of progress

• Vanguard funding and status had a positive catalytic role in pump-priming activities and assisting the pace of transformation efforts; it provided 'permission' and a 'space to innovate' in approaches to improvement.
• Committed leadership across professions and organisational levels and practical mechanisms to support joint working and interaction have helped support the vanguard vision and nurture increased trust between some providers.
• Despite examples of effective public engagement informing the design of the Southern Cluster UEC vanguards and supporting awareness raising about service options, the sites recognise a need for greater attention to this space in future efforts.
• Ensuring a critical mass of diverse health and care professionals supporting NHS 111 and the clinical hub remains a challenge.
• Data infrastructure and interoperability challenges will need to be addressed for longer-term impact at scale.