A new report from The King’s Fund, suggests that health and wellbeing boards could be the catalyst for delivering integrated care. They could bring the NHS, public health and local authorities together to co-ordinate health and other local services.
Based on interviews with 50 local authorities and detailed case studies in two areas, the report looks at the experience of the shadow boards so far. It identifies optimism about the prospects for success, with almost all those surveyed expecting boards to deliver on their identified priorities and promote closer integration between the NHS and local authorities, a key aim. The report found strong senior level buy-in on a local level, with more than a third of shadow boards chaired by council leaders or deputy leaders and the majority chaired by the lead for health, adult social care or children’s services Engagement in the work of shadow boards has been strong among public health and adult social care, with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) less engaged but still closely involved. The involvement of providers has been low, while nearly three-quarters of those surveyed think that boards will influence the work of CCGs, less than one in five think they will influence the NHS Commissioning Board. Building on the work undertaken so far to ensure health and wellbeing boards deliver on their potential, the report recommends that sufficient time and resources needs to be devoted to the boards to ensure they deliver strong, credible and shared leadership between local organisations. Responsibilities of all new bodies in the new system must be clearly defined to balance national and local priorities. A national framework for integrated care also needs to be developed to provide clearer joint accountabilities across health and social care. To ensure joined-up care, local authorities must look afresh at local partnership arrangements and ensure that providers are involved in their work.
