WIREDGOV

The report provides a set of principles to lay the foundations for delivering effective integrated out-of-hospital care, and offers local leaders a range of prompts, drivers and enablers to support them to effectively implement the approach.

Vital

The current set of financial and demographic challenges faced across health and social care mean that integration is necessary and the effective delivery of integrated care vital.

In the NHS Confederation's member survey 2012, 77% of respondents identified integration as an essential reform, the most commonly cited area. The survey underlined the importance of integrated care to ensuring financial sustainability and improved quality across the service.

Turning rhetoric into reality

Highlighting key evidence and drawing on learning from partners across health and social care, Making integrated out-of-hospital care a reality, puts forward six key principles for turning rhetoric into reality;

1. Making best use of resources to improve health and wellbeing outcomes for the whole population.
2. Empowering patients to have more control over their care packages, strengthen prevention, self-care and wellbeing.
3. Targeting services – focusing integrated services on those patient groups most likely to derive the most benefit.
4. Collective leadership and joint working – health and social care leaders jointly deliver solutions appropriate to their own communities.
5. Incentivising integrated care – develop mechanisms to reward organisations and staff to deliver integrated care.
6. Ensuring openness and transparency – using an open-book approach towards all aspects of integrated care.

Each principle is underpinned by drivers, at both a primary and secondary level, as well as potential enabling projects to support their implementation in practice.

The report is supported by case studies which show how elements of the principles are being carried out in practice.

Download the report.

Find out more

Read our joint statement with the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) on how health and social care services can effectively integrate. 

Find out more about our work to shape the future of social care.

Download Papering over the cracks: the impact of social care funding on the NHS.