"Today's announcement signifies a positive step forward in improving the care that people receive. If we can crack this nut, and truly transform the way physical and mental health care and social care are joined up, it will deliver big benefits to the overall system, and more importantly to the people who rely on the care provided to them. It is now up to health and social care leaders to pick up the baton, challenge the barriers that currently prevent the best joined up care, and look at radical ideas that will create improvements.

"For this initiative to be truly successful, it will require local organisations to have real power over how best to improve care in their areas. It will mean picking the brains of the patients, carers and professionals who use and deliver care services, day in, day out. This local empowerment must have the support of the national bodies - it won't work if there is a top-down prescriptive view of how things should be done.

"People and their carers don't simply stop needing support just because the parts of the system aren't working together. They need health and social care working together in the common interests of the communities they both serve. Health and social care share the burden, and so must share the solution. We need to address this issue now and transform models of care, or risk paying the price further down the line.

"We look forward to working with the Government and its partner groups in helping make these proposals a reality."