- Northamptonshire Mental Health Learning Disability Autism Collaborative (NMHLDAC) Programme is a partnership between Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, Mental Health Northants Collaboration and Integrated Care Northamptonshire Integrated Care System (ICS).
- Historically, mental health, learning disability and autism care in Northamptonshire was disconnected meaning providers didn't know what support was available to people in other parts of the system.
- Prior to the formation of ICSs, the existing contracts and service specification did not support and enable true integration and partnership working.
- The short-term nature of contracting (12-month cycles) prevented some providers from engaging in longer-term transformation initiatives.
- One of the driving factors behind the formation of the NMHLDAC Programme was to remove the barriers that had stopped the partnerships between NHS providers and the Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) sector being as effective as they could be.
- When they first started this programme, the teams across the collaborative made a concerted effort to take the time to co-produce a set of consultation workshops and understand from service users how they felt services should be delivered.
- It was important to ensure that people and communities who are not always heard were involved in the co-production to ensure the new ways of doing things reflected their interests.
- The strong relationships between the voluntary sector, NHS trust and the integrated care board (ICB) are leading to the collaborative working effectively in a new, refreshing and dynamic way.
- The outcome-based collaborative contract has plugged the VCSE sector into Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (NHFT), which has helped bring together the clinical and holistic support people need.