1. Building foundations for system working

While maturity varies across systems, many provider collaboratives are demonstrating value through focused, practical areas of joint working, particularly where there is a clear shared objective and tangible benefit.
In Dorset provider collaborative, collaboration has evolved beyond acute services to support a more integrated system-wide approach across acute, community and mental health providers. A key enabler has been the development of a single digital operating model across Dorset, creating greater alignment in how organisations plan, deliver and support services.

The collaborative is also working towards implementing a shared Epic electronic patient record across all providers by April 2028, with the ambition of becoming the first health system in England to deploy a single platform across acute, community and mental health services. This is expected to further strengthen:

• information sharing across organisations
• integrated patient pathways and care coordination
• consistency of processes, standards and digital capabilities across the system.

Alongside digital transformation, Dorset has delivered a successful shared procurement service, demonstrating how collaboration can deliver practical efficiencies while supporting system-wide priorities.

The collaborative is now using these foundations to support wider service transformation, including:

• developing a more integrated neighbourhood health model across Dorset
• redesigning urgent and emergency care pathways across the wider system
• establishing single points of access for planned care services
• exploring opportunities to deliver a number of services on a Dorset-wide basis where this can improve resilience, quality and value.

Rather than collaboration being limited to individual programmes, Dorset is increasingly using provider collaboration as a mechanism to support whole-system transformation, aligning organisations around shared objectives and delivery models.

Key takeaway

Provider collaboratives can create the foundations for broader system transformation by developing shared infrastructure, delivery models and ways of working. Early successes in areas such as digital transformation and shared services can build the trust, capability and alignment needed to support more ambitious changes in care delivery at scale.