NHS Led Provider Collaboratives

NHS trusts and independent healthcare providers are working together to improve the way specialised inpatient mental health, learning disability and autism services for people with complex needs are delivered in England.

This is being delivered through NHS-led Provider Collaboratives (PCs), which are coalitions of local NHS trusts, independent health care providers and third sector organisations working together across a specific geographical area. PCs are a key component of the integrated care system in England.

Specialised Mental Health Provider Collaboratives

There are a total of 47 NHS-led specialised mental health PCs across England and the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which provides mental health, learning disability and autism services across Sussex, is the lead provider of four in the South of England. These are:

Dorset and Wessex Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) T4
Kent and Sussex CAMHS T4
Kent, Sussex and Surrey Adult Secure Services
Kent and Sussex Adult Eating Disorders

How do Provider Collaboratives work?

The principle behind specialised mental health Provider Collaboratives is to enhance collaboration between NHS trusts and independent and voluntary sector providers to deliver more efficient and sustainable services, work in partnership with people with lived experience to improve the quality of care provided - in the least restrictive environment - and tackle health inequalities for their local population.

Delivering local services

Previously, specialised mental health, learning disability and autism services were co-ordinated at a national level by NHS England but the high demand for placements meant that patients were often admitted to hospitals miles from home.

A key objective of Provider Collaboratives is to ensure that wherever possible specialised inpatient services can be commissioned, quality assured and delivered at a local level, to make it easier for families and friends to support people whilst in hospital. Evidence shows that patients who are visited regularly by family and friends make a faster recovery.

By devolving the commissioning of specialised mental health, learning disability and autism, services, each Provider Collaborative is responsible for overseeing patient admissions and discharge plans, the quality of placements and managing the waiting times for beds for people with complex mental health needs in their area.

Watch the short animation below, also available in plain English, to find out more about NHS-led Provider Collaboratives.

Dorset and Wessex Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Provider Collaborative

The Dorset and Wessex CAMHS Provider Collaborative is responsible for commissioning specialised mental health, learning disability and autism services and managing the admission and discharge plans for young people with complex needs who live in Dorset, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

The Provider Collaborative was launched in May 2021 and is led by the Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, which works in partnership with NHS trusts and independent sector providers from across the region to deliver an efficient service and improve patient experience and outcomes. Our partners are:

In February 2022, the Provider Collaborative launched Closer2Home, an intensive home treatment service which enables children and young people in Dorset and Hampshire with acute mental health problems to receive treatment at home, rather than be admitted to hospital.

Contact details

For general enquiries, please email: spnt.wessexanddorsett4spa@nhs.net

Kent and Sussex Child & Adolescent Mental Health Service (CAMHS) Provider Collaborative

The Provider Collaborative is responsible for commissioning specialised mental health services and managing the admission and discharge plans for young people with complex needs in Kent, Medway and Sussex.

Sussex Partnership Foundation Trust leads the Provider Collaborative, which was launched in October 2021, and works in partnership with the North East London NHS Foundation Trust and providers from the independent sector to identify the most appropriate services and support the delivery of care and treatment plans for young people in the geographical area.

A new day service to support children and young people with eating disorders is being established in Sussex. It aims to support young people in the community and reduce the need for in-patient care. Additional provision to be able to support more young people in Kent is also planned.

Contact details

For general enquiries, please email: spnt.kentandsussexspa@nhs.net

Kent, Sussex and Surrey Adult Secure Services Provider Collaborative

The Provider Collaborative is a coalition of three NHS trusts and five independent sector providers that deliver low and medium secure hospital care for adults.

The providers are working together to improve how mental health services, for adults from Kent, Surrey and Sussex who require secure inpatient care, are commissioned and delivered. Since the Provider Collaborative launched in April 2021, this has included:

Creating a single point of access for the geographical area to manage patient admissions
Putting in place local discharge tracking systems to prevent unnecessary delays in patients being transferred into less restrictive services and support their timely discharge into the community.
Developing a robust approach to repatriating patients who have been placed in services outside of the local area.

In addition to commissioning inpatient services, the Provider Collaborative has also has invested in community forensic services to support individuals with complex mental health needs once they have been discharged from hospital. The aim is to prevent re-admission wherever possible and prioritise meeting people's needs in the community.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust works in partnership with the following NHS trusts and independent healthcare providers under the Provider Collaborative:

Contact details

For general enquiries, please email: spnt.ksssecurecarehub@nhs.net
For referrals, please email: spnt.kss.securereferrals@nhs.net

Kent and Sussex Adult Eating Disorders Provider Collaborative

The Provider Collaborative is responsible for commissioning specialised services for adults with eating disorders who live in Kent and Sussex.

Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust works in partnership the North East London NHS Foundation Trust to identify service providers and oversee the arrangements for the delivery of care and treatment plans for patients.

The Provider Collaborative, which went live in February 2022, is developing plans to enhance the availability of specialist services as an alternative to admitting patients to hospital, to support adults with eating disorders in Kent and Sussex.

Contact details

For general enquiries, please email: spnt.kentandsussexedspa@nhs.net