Joined up health and social care

In plans unveiled by Care and Support Minister Norman Lamb, the government has announced that it plans to put an end to people passed around the health and social care system thanks to uncoordinated services.

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 percent 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.

The plans, which will be delivered by national leaders and local areas working closely together, include:

• An ambition to make joined-up and coordinated health and care the norm by 2018, with projects in every part of the country by 2015;
• The first ever agreed definition of what people say good integrated care and support looks and feels like. This work by National Voices gives areas a clear vision to work towards;
• New pioneer areas around the country appointed by September 2013, which will be selected by a panel of experts, both national and international, who will be looking for the innovative, practical approaches needed to achieve change as quickly as possible; and
• New measures of people’s experience of joined up care and support by the end of this year so we can start to see whether people are feeling the benefits of the change.

Currently, people often fall through the cracks between the NHS and care and support provided in the community, with issues including:

• people having to re-tell their story every time they encounter a new service;
• people not getting the support they need because different parts of the system don’t talk to each other or share appropriate information and notes;
• older people discharged from hospital to homes not adapted to their needs, only to deteriorate or fall and end up back in A&E. Cutting emergency readmissions will bring a much better experience for patients;
• home visits from health or care workers at different times, with no effort to fit in with people’s requirements; and
• patients facing long waits in hospital before being discharged in part because of inadequate coordination between hospital and social care staff. Delayed discharges cost the NHS £370million a year.

For further information visit www.gov.uk/government/news/people-will-see-health-and-social-care-fully-joined-up-by-2018.