Provider collaboratives building capacity

Mental health provider collaboratives have been at the forefront of transitioning care from inpatient units to supporting patients closer to home, and in the least restrictive settings.
In line with the experience of acute and community provider collaboratives, mental health provider collaboratives have leveraged the benefits of working at scale. By working together, mental health providers and local partners are managing budgets and pathways to transform how services are delivered.
Working at scale enables trusts to act collectively on a range of issues including clinical transformation and resource management. Savings achieved through efficiencies, economies of scale and cutting the use of expensive, inappropriate out of area placements can be reinvested in providing the right support for people close to home.
The success of collaboratives in bringing care closer to home has been enabled by factors such as devolved responsibility for budgets and care pathways, the power of partnerships, the inclusion of patient voices in design and delivery, and a cycle of success breeding success.
As national policymakers set out their plans to shift services into the community, they should take learning from, and build on, the experiences of mental health provider collaboratives. This includes transforming care pathways and ensuring that public funds are reinvested to support sustainable and longer-term success.