What do we mean by ‘system’?
We can think of systems as a network of interdependent components that should work together to try to accomplish the aim of the system. The aim for any system should be that everybody gains, not one part of the system at the expense of
any other.
Key component parts of an NHS system – In it together: developing your local system strategy NHSi 2016
A health and care system will include a number of different organisations connected by either:
• policy, eg the STP footprints• patient flows
• local challenges
• historical relationships.
Systems can be defined by the people working within them and by the people working outside them. Some systems will have been working collaboratively for years, and some will just be starting to form relationships.
These are some of the big challenges of sustained system change
• manage the competing goals of different organisations
• shift from transactional relationships to truly transformational ones
• deliver long-term change while still meeting short-term pressures
• innovate to tackle long-standing problems when resources are constrained.