STPs: from sticky toffee puddings to just plain fudge

Last week the great and the good from the NHS, local government, the voluntary sector, and beyond convened in Westminster to discuss the next steps for delivering NHS England’s sustainability and transformation partnerships (formerly plans), the ambitious vehicle for future proofing health and social care services by integrating care across 44 areas of the country. STPs—nicknamed “sticky toffee puddings” by from some health service wags—and their offshoots the accountable care organisations have been a lightning rod for controversy over the past 18 months.1234567 The haste in which the plans were drawn up, the lack of …