The All Together Better partnership exists to transform the way that care is provided for the people of Dudley. After engaging with local people and local organisations, Dudley Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) led a bid in 2015 to become a local Vanguard site of the national New Care Models programme.

This bid was successful. A wide-ranging partnership of local organisations – from across the NHS, local government and the voluntary sector – then came together to oversee the design and implementation of Dudley’s new care model.

This new model – called the ‘Multispecialty community provider (MCP) – was designed to provide more care in community settings and in people’s homes. This was to be achieved through two main strands of activity: 1) to establish new services and innovative ways of working to change the way that support is provided; and 2) a large-scale procurement exercise to put a contract in place to ensure that these new ways of working would be sustained and improved into the future. To track progress and to improve services, Dudley also initiated a programme of evaluation and learning.

The Strategy Unit exists to improve outcomes. It does this through applied critical thinking, analysis and strategic advice. As an NHS organisation, the Strategy Unit understands the system and the need for a ‘real world’ and practical approach.

Dudley CCG formed a partnership with the Strategy Unit to support their work as a Vanguard. This support covered multiple services, including: support to primary care (both to improve services and enter the procurement); strategic advice; modelling and analytical support; and research and evaluation. Many of the products from this work are presented on this microsite.

To maximise rigour and independence, for the research and evaluation components of the work the Strategy Unit partnered with two specialist organisations: ICF and Health Services Management Centre at University of Birmingham.

ICF is a multi-disciplinary evaluation consultancy. Based in the United States and operating globally, ICF provides applied research and analysis to help address pressing public policy challenges. In the UK, ICF works with many of the major patient charities, Public Health England, Skills for Health, the Welsh Government and others. ICF is a strategic partner of the Strategy Unit and led many of the evaluation assignments within Dudley.

HSMC is one of the UK's foremost centres for research, evaluation, teaching and professional development for health and social care organisations. HSMC has established a unique reputation as a 'critical friend' of the healthcare community and strives constantly to bridge the gap between research and practice. HSMC provided leadership support and advice to lead GPs in Dudley, as well as supporting evaluation work on the new approach to commissioning primary care (Dudley Outcomes for Health).