The NWL Sustainability and Transformation Plan (STP)
Sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) have just been submitted by NHS organisations in different parts of the country outlining the future of health and care services in their area. Ours involves the whole of North West London and involves the NHS services and the Local Authorities planning ways in which they hope to come together to deliver health and care in a more intelligent and integrated way, bridging the gap between social care and health services. One of the principle themes now is cooperation rather than competition, which has driven the way we work over the last 4 years (in, some would say, a very destructive and dysfunctional way). The other themes are, of course, diminishing resources - both money and people - and rising and changing patterns of demand and how to provide good quality care under these circumstances. There will be a lot of re-balancing budgets and reshaping the types of services offered. There is simply no possibility of carrying on in the cu