Cheshire and Merseyside Acute and Specialist Trusts Provider Collaborative (CMAST) was formed in spring 2021, following a system-wide focus on pandemic response. CMAST is a large provider collaborative, originally involving 13 trusts, with an overarching aim to support delivery and service improvement for patients across the system by reducing unwarranted variation and maximising equity of access.
The collaborative was built from the foundations established by the Cheshire and Merseyside Hospital Cell, established during the pandemic to provide coordination. Relationships between providers were galvanised by these positive experiences and proof of concept and have subsequently been underpinned by agreements that define their ways of working, priorities and vision.
The managing director of CMAST had strong relationships and experience spanning the system, having worked in the region as a director of delivery for NHS England and consolidated this rapport and understanding with providers, the region and integrated care board (ICB). This helped provide a strong grasp of where the strengths and opportunities within the system were, which proved useful in the early days of the collaborative and gave CMAST stability and clarity at a time when the ICB was still finding its feet.
CMAST is funded through a mix of routes, with some money coming through national programmes for diagnostics and elective recovery. Other income comes from ICB transformation funding and there is also a contribution from each of the collaborative's providers.