Health and social care fully joined-up by 2018

An end to people passed around the health and social care system thanks to uncoordinated services will follow plans unveiled by Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb today. Joined-up health and community care is not currently the norm, leaving people often getting disjointed care and support, not designed to suit their needs.

In a recent study, 32 per cent of bereaved people said hospitals did not work well with GPs and other services. Now the biggest ever commitment to making coordinated health and care a reality has been launched. Government and key players in the health and care field have published plans that will see them working together to put people first.

Today's announcement sees the publication of the first ever system-wide "Shared Commitment", which demonstrates how the national leaders of the health and care system have come together to help local areas make integration happen.

Dr Sam Bennett, Director of Think Local Act Personal, the Partnership taking forward work on personalised care and support, says:

"We welcome this important collaboration. Through our shared commitment we will support the focus on joining up services at the level of the individual, particularly through the close alignment of the Narrative with our Making it Real initiative. This provides the opportunity to join up two important agendas, so that efforts to realise integrated care and support will also ensure that support is personalised and enables greater choice and control across the system. The work of TLAP's National Co-production Advisory Group has been critical in creating this alignment and ensuring this work is grounded in the lived experiences of people who use services, carers and families."