Clinical Networks

Clinical networks – what are they?

Clinical networks are hosted by NHS England and are non-statutory bodies. They adopt a ‘whole system’ approach to healthcare design, working with commissioners and providers of healthcare aiming to reduce variation and improve quality of care.

The work programme of the networks support NHS England’s national priorities, which includes many health initiatives to improve care, from diagnosis through to treatments, enabling a more patient-centred focus.

Our role as the East of England clinical networks is to connect people and organisations, to create an environment that enables change and innovation to improve people’s health and wellbeing, so it is comparable with the best in the world.

Our mission is to bring together those who use, commission and provide services to improve outcomes for patients. Networks work across organisational boundaries to improve care for patients whose care is often provided by a number of organisations, using an integrated, whole system approach. Working in partnership, networks influence commissioning by:

  • Highlighting and reducing unwarranted variation in health care
  • Encouraging innovation in how services are provided now and in the future
  • Providing clinical advice and leadership to support decision making and strategic planning

The aims of clinical networks

  • Advise on standards of care
  • Advise on care pathways
  • Engine for change across complex system of care
  • Whole system improvement
  • Honest broker and critical friend
  • Harness clinical leadership
  • Create a forum to plan ahead

Our work

Clinical Networks focus on priority health care service areas to bring about improvement in the quality and equity of care and outcomes of their population, both now and in the future.

Clinical networks bring together those who use, provide and commission the service to make improvements in outcomes for complex patient pathways using an integrated, whole system approach.

The networks provide the opportunity to focus on identified health issues from a broad strategic perspective. They work to create meaningful infrastructure to create this change.   Networks support evidence based clinical decision-making and link with local commissioning intentions.

Clinical networks offer the ability to develop best value care pathways with long lasting improvements in quality. They seek to develop both providers and commissioner and their relationships with one another, across all care settings (community, primary, secondary, tertiary care) to improve health outcomes.

They help commissioners reduce unwarranted variation in services and encouraging innovation to deliver effective change to health care services through greater collaboration between providers and commissioners across different levels of the health care system.

Working in partnership with commissioners (including local government) clinical networks support decision making and strategic planning across organisational boundaries acting as a vehicle for improvement for patients, carers, commissioners, providers, voluntary organisations and the public.