Mapping and assessing the key management issues influencing UK public healthcare purchaser‐provider cooperation

Purpose – The purpose is to examine the bases of positive relations between suppliers and purchasers of healthcare services. In doing so, the paper examines the nature of cooperation between the providers of healthcare services (hospitals) and those who commission and purchase healthcare on behalf of patients (regional health authorities). Design/methodology/approach – The paper employs a qualitative interview approach for gathering and analysing major stakeholder (provider and purchaser) perceptions of their interorganisational relations and how these interactions impact on the quest of the healthcare provider to meet the needs of the community they serve. Findings – The paper identifies group relevant variables into four major themes or “core categories” that characterise purchaser‐provider stakeholder cooperation. These themes represent provider and purchaser views on those factors characterising stakeholder relationships within the purchaser‐provider dyad. Practical implications – The paper suggests that extending practitioners' understanding of the nature of these interrelated factors may lead to better insights of how interorganisational relations and partnerships might be managed more proactively throughout the healthcare value chain. Originality/value – In the extant literature, there is a paucity of research that has illustrated multi‐stakeholder perspectives in the public sector. This paper explores the perceptions of two main stakeholders in public healthcare to map and assess management issues influencing purchaser‐provider cooperation.