Leaders must look beyond the hospital walls to truly address the broader health and wellbeing challenges
Strasys’ “Thinking Differently” latest webinar “How to make health systems work”, leading healthcare experts discussed the urgent need for transformative change within the NHS, emphasising the importance of thinking outside institutional boundaries to create healthier, integrated systems.
The webinar was full of practical examples of leveraging data to drive innovation. It featured a hospital trust leader discussing the boardroom perspective on how to use data differently to make better decisions and achieve large-scale impact, a data expert highlighting the dangers of blindly adopting AI and the importance of critical thinking, and a primary care clinician emphasising the need to use data in a more meaningful way to improve patient outcomes. The webinar concluded with Strasys, Founder and CEO, sharing practical steps for healthcare leaders to think differently
Mike Bell
Chair, NHS South West London Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust
Chaired by Mike Bell, Chair, NHS South West London Integrated Care Board (ICB) and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, with 25 years of NHS experience, who opened the session by reflecting on the repeated attempts to fix long standing issues in the NHS. He highlighted that the time to act is now, using the 10-year health plan as a platform to drive real change and shift from short term problem solving to long term systemic transformation.
He recalled how bringing in Strasys a decade ago helped guide a turnaround at Croydon, where previous consultancy approaches failed to deliver meaningful change. Strasys’s innovative approach to shifting the transformation focus towards consumer and population needs played a key role in transitioning the system into a more integrated and high performing model.
The webinar highlighted that the NHS is undergoing one of its toughest planning rounds in recent years. While there is substantial public engagement in the 10-year plan, the focus of current strategies has largely been on managing demand, with inconsistent data availability across the system and an overreliance on siloed approaches. True system working, the speakers argued, requires a shift in mindset, with collaboration and integration seen as essential but insufficient.
Kevin Lavery
Chief Executive, NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria (LSC) Integrated Care Board
Without change, the system would need 60% more beds, which is unsustainable
Kevin Lavery, Chief Executive, NHS Lancashire and South Cumbria (LSC) Integrated Care Board, outlined the severe challenges facing the NHS, including a growing and ageing population, increasing health conditions, and financial pressures. He highlighted that 60% of a £5 billion healthcare budget is spent on the acute sector, which is increasingly strained. A shift towards community care, away from acute settings, is essential to manage growing demand. He emphasised that without this transition, the system would need 60% more beds.
Kevin also aligned his system’s vision with Darzi’s proposals, advocating for care to be moved from hospitals to community settings, incorporating digital solutions, and focusing on prevention. He shared an example of success from his own system, where targeted interventions in medication and therapy reduced unplanned hospital admissions by 90% for 835 patients in Barrow. Virtual care, particularly in the management of end of life patients, was another area of success, with the potential to free up hospital beds and improve patient dignity by supporting care at home or in hospice environments.
Kevin acknowledged that the NHS is in a state of crisis financially, but he framed it as an opportunity for radical thinking and change. The ICB has partnered with Strasys to understand the trapped value in the system due to legacy ‘business models’ and models of care. By relooking at the system using the perspective of population segments, significant value – over £300m – has been identified with radical new solutions.
However, in the short term there are system opportunities too. For example, by addressing inefficiencies in urgent care services – such as the £84 million spent annually on corridor care – resources could be reallocated to community based care, which would relieve pressure on hospitals and improve patient outcomes. The crisis, he argued, could be leveraged to drive long term structural reform, and efforts are already underway to standardise contracts across local ICB regions to address funding inequalities and create a more equitable healthcare system.
Andrew Bennett, Director of Population Health at LSC added the importance of using population data to inform healthcare decisions, suggesting that healthcare systems need to be more responsive to the diverse needs of different communities. He reinforced the need for training healthcare leaders to use data effectively to make decisions tailored to those communities’ unique challenges.
Prof Andrew Corbett Nolan
Chief Executive, Good Governance Institute
Good governance is about making it very easy to do the right thing and harder to do the wrong thing – key for systems to create value
Prof Andrew Corbett Nolan, Chief Executive, Good Governance Institute shared that the hospital centric model is well past its sell by date and no longer serves the complex health needs of modern society. The model needs a radical overhaul to meet current and future demands.
The need for a shift in healthcare governance was another key theme of the webinar. Big picture change requires a focus on creating real value, as opposed to simply measuring performance. Governance should prioritise outcomes that benefit both the community and society, and a new social contract must ensure fairness in the allocation of resources.
The concept of “allocative equity” was also discussed, with efforts to standardise and equalise care for underserved communities being a key element in ensuring that health inequalities are addressed.
Andrew, reflecting on the past, discussed the short termism inherent in the NHS model, which has been shaped by political cycles and a focus on immediate, voter-sensitive targets. This has led to the prioritisation of hospital based care over more holistic, long term strategies that address the root causes of health problems.
Patti Harvey
Former Kaiser Permanente Senior Vice President in Quality, Nursing, and Clinical Operations
Focus on keeping workers happy and healthy and ensuring care extends to their families
International perspectives were provided by Patti Harvey, a former Kaiser Permanente Senior Vice President in Quality, Nursing, and Clinical Operations, who shared insights from her work at Kaiser Permanente. Drawing comparisons between the US and UK healthcare systems, she made clear the necessity of prioritising population health outcomes, patient centred care, and value based models.
Personalised, patient centred care is crucial, especially at the end of life. She spoke about her own mother, in her final days, who said, “I don’t want to die here. I want to have tomato soup and I want to be able to read my book and listen to my music.” That evening, she was moved to a hospice, honouring her wishes for comfort and dignity. Hospice plays a vital role in respecting individual choices and ensuring quality care in life’s final moments.
Mark Jennings
Chief Solutions and Services Officer, Strasys
Making the system work requires putting patients first, defining roles and measuring value
Mark Jennings, Chief Solutions and Services Officer, Strasys closed the session by reflecting on how to unlock “trapped value” within the NHS. Medicine has become increasingly complex, and the NHS must adapt to deliver coordinated care across an ever expanding range of specialties. While larger trusts can be more efficient, disparities still exist, particularly in integrated systems. He stressed the need to focus on patient centred care, make strategic decisions about which services to offer, and measure success across a broad range of metrics, including clinical outcomes, cost effectiveness, and health equity.
This complexity leads to “trapped value” in the system, where patients face confusion navigating a fragmented care path, moving between specialties without clear guidance. Simultaneously, organisations face inefficiencies, struggling with dis-economies of scale and the challenge of maintaining consistent care across growing systems.
Future Direction
In conclusion, there was a clear consensus that the current model is outdated and must live within its means. Effective system working goes beyond integration and collaboration – it demands a new mindset and skillset. Colleagues must set aside institutional interests and shift from managing demand to genuinely addressing need. The key to achieving this lies in transforming leaders’ ability to dig deeper – uncovering inefficiencies, enhancing performance, and ultimately improving patient outcomes. The challenge, however, is immense, and leaders across the NHS must act boldly and with a long term vision to navigate these turbulent times.
Thinking Differently Webinar Series
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Join us for future seminars and join the conversation to aspire to catalyse change, improve healthcare delivery for patients, and create more fulfilling work environments for staff.
Next steps
- Watch the recording https://www.strasys.uk/how-to-make-health-systems-work/
- Sign up to our next webinar on 3 June 2025 – The NHS 10-year plan and how do we reduce unwarranted variation in care?
- Sign up to our Thinking Differently newsletter
- See previous and future events www.strasys.uk/events/
- Learn more about the innovative Strasys tools and methods hello@strasys.uk
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