The NHS Integrated Service Improvement Programme, also known as ISIP, was established to support a set of key principles in support of sustainable service transformation:

Whole systems reform

Focus on the whole care continuum from prevention through treatment to review and rehabilitation

Cross-community collaboration

Complex, sustainable transformation to care delivery for, say, urgent care or long term conditions, or elective care closer to the patient, requires collaboration across care communities

Benefits-led change

A disciplined approach is needed to clarify the quality of care and financial benefits that transformed services will deliver benefits for patients, staff and the local health economy

Integration of change enablers: Workforce, Care delivery processes, Technologies

Most complex change programmes will require a mix of workforce / role reform, change of working practices and the deployment of information or other technologies. Benefits are optimised when all these enablers of change are made to complement each other.

The formal disciplines of Programme Management

The approach to integrated transformation is consistent with, and draws on the disciplines of, programme management methodologies such as Managing Successful Programmes.

The programme is currently supporting 16 NHS Local Health Community (LHC) Demonstrators which are implementing complex service transformations to improve different aspects of patient care: Long term conditions; Urgent care; Elective care / 18 weeks; and Mental health. Several of these are being supported together with the National Diabetes Support Team.

An approach to managing complex change (the Roadmap for Transformational Change) is available to support both Commissioners and Providers to deliver effective service transformation.