Co-producing the Future of Urgent Care within an Integrated Care System in England: Insights from an Inclusive Community Engagement Toolkit

This work presents the methodology and findings of a large-scale, co-produced engagement initiative undertaken to inform the development of the Integrated Urgent Care Strategic Plan for across an Integrated Care System in England. The project aimed to ensure that urgent care services are timely, appropriate, and inclusive—“first time, every time”—by embedding the voices of people and communities into strategic commissioning.

 

Methods: Led by the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care Board (SNEE ICB), the engagement process was designed and delivered collaboratively with a 50-member Insight and Oversight Group comprising individuals with lived experience, community organisations, service providers, and commissioners.

A bespoke engagement toolkit was co-created, which included accessible surveys, community conversations, and an online “magic wand” ideas board. Between May and July 2025, 483 engagement interactions were recorded, encompassing diverse demographics and under-served groups. The engagement focused on generating ideas for improved urgent care access and inclusion, to ensure services are fit for the future and population as a whole.

 

A novel health inequalities mapping model was developed to extract data that highlighted participant ideas and suggestions for more accessible and inclusive urgent care services in relation to life experiences and identities - e.g. digital exclusion, transport limitations, language barriers, sensory impairment, being transgender, homelessness, alcohol and substance use, pregnancy, people with mental health conditions, learning disabilities, neurodivergence, and carers.

 

Findings: Service integration - Respondents called for seamless coordination between NHS 111, GPs, pharmacies, mental health services, and social care, supported by shared care records and joined-up triage systems.

Communication and navigation - Confusion about when and how to access urgent care was widespread. Suggestions included clearer signposting, visual guides, multilingual materials, and 'humanised' contact options.

Workforce and training - Strong support for increased staffing and training in inclusive communication, trauma-informed care, and lived experience-led education particularly for neurodivergence, sensory health, and LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Digital and non-digital options - While some participants supported AI-assisted triage and digital tools, many emphasised the need for non-digital alternatives, such as phone-based support and walk-in centres.

 

The Insight and Oversight Group also analysed responses from 12 priority groups stemming from the health inequalities mapping. Each contributing tailored recommendations, such as mobile urgent care units, quiet waiting areas, accessible diagnostics, and culturally sensitive services.

The resulting Strategic Plan is informing the co-produced development of a service specification and procurement of integrated urgent care services, for delivery from 2027.

 

Discussion:This engagement process demonstrates the value of co-production in integrated care system transformation. It highlights how inclusive, community-led approaches can generate actionable insights and foster trust between providers and service users. The findings are now being translated into commissioning priorities and service redesign, and demonstrate an example of strategic commissioning in its new form following national direction.

 

By centring lived experience and addressing inequalities, the Strategic Plan aims to deliver urgent care that is person-centred, integrated, accessible, and equitable. This work offers a replicable model for other regions seeking to embed community voice and co-production into urgent care planning and broader health system reform.