Councils have a ‘place shaping’ responsibility and this includes ensuring the community is a better place to live. Dame Denise Platt, Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection, has urged councils to respond to the challenge in the fast developing social care scene.

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Independent research into direct payment of personalised care budgets commissioned by the Department of Health has shown that carers benefit as well as the people they care for. There are six million carers in the UK.

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By Peter O’Hara

Ill health and disabilities come in different forms which are often complex and inter-related. For this reason, health and care services have been brought together to provide holistic support. But this integration has a long way to go because the culture in the health service differs from that in the care service. The author explores the barriers to cultural change and looks at ways to progress successful joint working.

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