Roadmap outlined for £3.8bn integrated health and social care fund

The Local Government Association and NHS England have recently published their ‘vision’ for how the pooling of £3.8 billion of funding will ensure that the integration of the health and social care system in England is successful. The funding, which was announced in the June spending round by the government, will push for community-based care that relies on a combination of care at home and mobility aids such as indoor stairlifts.

Earlier in August, the NHS and the Local Government Association released a 'Statement on the health and social care Integration Transformation Fund', which can be read in full by clicking here. In summary, the statement provides a roadmap for how health and social care services in local areas can begin planning and preparing for the £3.8 billion budget that will be available from 2015/16. The overall idea is for health and social care in England to be fully integrated, benefiting both individuals who need health care and the government purse.

Sir Merrick Cockell, Chairman of the Local Government Association, has said that they are “moving more towards preventative, community-based care” that will see those with long term conditions benefit from better communication between hospital doctors and care professionals. He has also gone on to say that "health and wellbeing boards will be crucial to this process" as they will be the people who make decisions on spending in local areas. As well as helping members of the public get the care that they are looking for, these health and wellbeing boards will "play a key role in the assurance process", justifying budget allocation to members of the local community.

The vision of an integrated health and social care will hopefully allow more people to live independently at home with the help of aids such as reclining chairs and health care professionals that make home visits, allowing people to get high quality health care at home. The £3.8 billion of funding and the recent statement outlining the plans to make an integrated health and social care system a reality have been described by Bill McCarthy, National Director of Policy at NHS England, as "a catalyst" for the "truly radical transformation" that is needed for these plans to be successful, and he expects that this is the beginning of a "real opportunity to improve the lives of some of the most vulnerable people within our society."

Click on this link to read more views from other experts within the health and social care industry about the statement in an informative article from The Homecare Industry Information Service.

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