The Local Government Association is providing a toolkit for councils and NHS trusts who are responding to the Department of Health’s invitation become health and social care integration pioneers.
There is continuing pressures to integrate health social care as life expectancy increases and it becomes possible to treat more conditions at home.
The toolkit will help commissioners and providers navigate the tricky terrain of integrated care implementation, by identifying the best intervention for their locality. The practical support it offers is the result of an innovative partnership between the NHS, LGA and care organisations across the UK in response to the Government’s introduction of the Better Care Fund.
Cllr Katie Hall, Chair of the Community Wellbeing Board, Local Government Association said: “The toolkit has already made waves across local government and health. Over 350 people have been involved in the development and testing of the products, and we know local areas are now using the toolkit to support their work on the Better Care Fund and wider integrated care locally.”
Claire Kennedy, Co-Managing Director, PPL & Senior Advisor, Integrating Care said: “From 2015/16 onwards the UK health and social care landscape is going to look very different, and we need to ensure the entire sector is ready for it. This toolkit will help national and local care providers work together to make a substantial difference to the quality of life of individuals and communities across the country.
She added: “We recognise that service co-ordination is far easier said than done, and that the looming BCF deadline will be cause for definite concern in some localities. But practical help is at hand in the form of the LGA’s toolkit. Its examples and user-friendly resources will help health and wellbeing boards and local partners determine exactly what will work best in their region and how.”
The toolkit is available on the NHSIQ’s ICASE as well as on the LGA website.