During 2025/26, we published our SACS framework. This is a 10-year forward plan which sets out how we will work together to create robust hospital services for the future. Please click here to read a short 2-page summary or watch our explainer video: SACS: 10-year framework for sustainable hospital services.
Clinical leaders, who are the experts in hospital care, helped create this. We also listened to what patients, staff and partners told us. All FTs and the ICB have signed up to the SACS Framework as a shared strategic driver for change.
Even though SACS is about hospital care, other partners who have a key role to play. We are working with the ambulance service, mental health teams and primary care. This will help us make real lasting change. Our aim is to create hospital services that are:
- fair, consistent, and high quality, no matter where people live.
- reliable with the right staff, space, and equipment to meet people's needs.
- set up well for the future and the changing needs of our population.
SACS also helps us spot problems early. This means we can respond more quickly when services are under pressure or face problems.
A shared vision for the future
SACS sets out four clear goals for how we want to change and improve local hospital services. All partners will use these to plan how services will work in the future. These goals are to make sure:
- we have common pathways for hospital services that people use all the time.
- we deliver more care closer to home, where it is safe to do so.
- we join up services so care is in the right place, and we have the right number of staff.
- we work with clinical teams to support networked models of care where this makes sense.
Turning strategy into action
SACS is looking at four key clinical areas first. These are our ‘blueprint’ areas. We chose them based on data and input from clinical teams. We think we can make a big difference quickly in these areas and add most value. What we learn will help us improve other specialties too.
- Gynaecology
- Neurology
- Cardiology (heart failure)
- Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
As we look to the future, there are other hospital services we need to think about too. This is because we expect changes in demand and how complex care can be. There are four key areas that we will look at. We will work with clinical teams across all providers as we do this work.
- Paediatrics
- Maternity
- Surgery
- Cancer services
A culture of collaboration
How we do this work is key. We have agreed some principles to support us:
- Our clinical teams will guide our work.
- We will seek to address problems at a local level where we can.
- We will listen to and involve patients, carers, and local people.
- We aim to reduce health inequalities and will not make them worse.
- We will live up to our system Leadership Compact.
- We will keep our focus on the long-term challenges that we cannot solve alone.
Please see our principles for optimal clinical service sustainability collaboration across the system here.
Our job is to work together on issues that affect every FT. This includes learning from each other, sharing best practice and jointly planning how we deliver services where this makes sense.
We are leading a programme of work to make sure our hospital services are set up well for the future. This is the Strategic Approach to Clinical Services (SACS).
The Integrated Care Board (ICB) has asked us to do this work. It is in line with the region’s Integrated Care Strategy and Clinical Conditions Strategic Plan. Together, we want to plan together for the future and in line with the new 10-year NHS plan.
Our aim is to make sure we have sustainable hospital services across the North East and North Cumbria (NENC) for the next 5 to 10 years. Whilst the SACS work is mostly focused on acute secondary and tertiary services, we are also keen to consider our mental health and ambulance services and, particularly, the valuable connections across all these care sectors.
Click here to view our report on patient insights and patient experience data.
Neurology is a specialist service. It is one of our ‘blueprint’ areas for our SACS work. There are only four FTs in the region who provide this care and the demand on services is high.
About one in three patients wait more than 18 weeks. Care is not the same in every area. Some FTs have fewer staff. Too many patients go to hospital when they don’t really need to. Neurology leads have looked at the headache pathway first. The work so far includes:
- using the same process for referrals to help people get the right care quickly.
- working to the same guidelines for clinical care.
- creating new care pathways with more care outside of hospital.
- sharing the skills of staff across FTs with less need for costly short-term fixes.
- giving more advice and guidance to help GPs to help support patients.
- a new pharmacy pilot to support people with headache care.
Consultant Neurologist Dr Naomi Warren (The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals) discusses the challenges neurology services across NENC face, how we’re working collaboratively to overcome these challenges and the benefits of working together.
We also take a deeper dive into the regional approach of the headache pathway as Consultant Neurologist Dr Gina Kennedy (South Tyneside and Sunderland) provides an example of how we can provide better care for our patients.
Watch here.
“By joining up what we do, we can see more patients sooner. We are also making care more consistent and in ways that are easier for patients to access.”
Women’s health services are another area where we are testing new ways to improve care through our SACS work. The number of referrals has gone up by over 50% in the last three and a half years. Many women wait more than 18 weeks. This affects their health, how they feel, and their ability to work.
All FTs came together to plan services, increase capacity and focus on those most in need. National funding has helped us to:
- help women who have been waiting the longest for care.
- help women access care who live in poorer areas.
- focus on common problems all women have. This includes heavy periods, the menopause and pain in the pelvic area.
- start weekend clinics so women don’t have to miss work or arrange childcare.
- put on more than 2,500 extra appointments in just six months.
- improve how we triage women and make it easy to see us again.
By focusing on the women who need the most help, we are making care fairer for everyone. Our work so far means we now see over 64% of patients in 18 weeks.
“We now see women much sooner and make sure they get help earlier. This helps reduce time off work and disruption to daily life. Weekend clinics make it easier for women to attend and they miss less appointments.”
