Integrated Care Academy

We are working closely with the The Integrated Care Academy (ICA), the first of its kind in the UK. It is an exciting partnership between the University of Suffolk, the Suffolk and North East Essex Integrated Care System (ICS), Suffolk County Council and Healthwatch Suffolk and others from the voluntary and community sector, such as Suffolk Mind and local hospices.

The ICA launched in May 2021, following nine months of co-production with around 1,400 people from organisations and communities in Suffolk and north east Essex. The delivery plan for our first year of operation introduced five programmes aimed at three health and care priorities and an overarching priority to reduce health inequalities.

Since then, the ICA has:

  • Initiated 14 research projects;

  • built a research consortium in palliative and end-of-life care;

  • joined a multinational partnership to trial the benefits of artificial intelligence in supporting people with heart failure;

  • started trials to evaluate the optimal health programme for people with long-COVID;

  • introduced new course content in integrated care for pre-registration, post-graduate certificate, diploma and masters courses; 

  • delivered leadership training in integrated care for frontline health and care professionals; and

  • delivered short course and training in co-production for integrated care at system, place and neighbourhood levels.