Collaboration over competition? Regulatory reform and inter-organisational relations in the NHS amidst the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, England's Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) released a White Paper outlining proposed legislative reform of the National Health Service (NHS). Key to the proposals is the shift from relationships between providers based on competition, to cooperation, as the central driver of improved performance and quality. Against this background we explore potential regulatory barriers and enablers to collaboration identified by key NHS stakeholders and assess whether the proposed policy changes are likely to deliver the desired improvement in collaborative relationships, in the context of challenges experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

We conducted 32 semi-structured interviews with 30 key stakeholders, taking plac

SUBMITTER: Aunger JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9099284 | biostudies-literature | 2022 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature