A CLEAR transformation project has been commissioned to review and enhance stroke care in Lincolnshire – focusing specifically on optimising pathways across hospital and community services to ensure patients receive the right care in the right setting.

The project aims to support Lincolnshire to become an exemplar for improved stroke care and to share best practice across England to accelerate the transformation of stroke services.

The Clinically Led Workforce and Activity Redesign (CLEAR) team will work closely with clinicians and managers from Lincolnshire ICB and United Lincolnshire Hospitals NHS Trust (ULHT) to examine the current stroke pathways, address workforce challenges and identify ways to reduce hospital length of stay. Their work will focus on enhancing community-based care - including rehabilitation services and streamlining discharge processes, while improving patient outcomes and overall service efficiency.

The project will include the development of a skills matrix and workforce toolkit that will support optimisation of the workforce, including upskilling staff and cutting agency costs - and implementation of new models of care. It will culminate in a set of practical and financially viable recommendations for improvement – and will include further support to rollout a number of ‘quick wins’ to enable transformation at pace.

The CLEAR programme began in 2019 with six pilot projects focused on transformation in urgent and emergency care (UEC). Since then, it has delivered 75 CLEAR projects with many more underway across NHS priority areas.