From the start of this month (July 1, 2022), Integrated Care Systems [ICS] have come into effect and are set to change the way health and care services are planned, paid for and delivered across England.
As of the beginning of July, the 42 ICSs across England have been placed onto a statutory footing and Clinical Commissioning Groups [CCGs] abolished, with their commissioning powers transferring to the new bodies.
The intention behind these systems, as outlined in the government's Health & Care Act, is to move towards joined-up health and care, to give people the support they need, in the right place and at the right time.
The partnership model is intended to bring together health and social care providers and commissioners of NHS services with local authorities and other partners, to collectively plan health and care services across specific geographical areas across the country, and tackle health and wellbeing inequalities.
Whether these aims can be achieved depends entirely upon the willingness of these systems to proactively involve and meaningfully engage social care providers, a concern that was raised by several sector practitioners in The Leaders Council's recent special report on the new law.
As the leading voice of the not-for-profit sector – the National Care Forum [NCF], one of the organisations which contributed to the special report, has created a range of dedicated resources and information to help social care providers understand, navigate and improve the integration between health and social care as they work together under this new framework.
The resources are available on the NCF website and provide a comprehensive overview of ICS, relevant guidance and case studies including a useful interactive map to help you find your local ICS and partners.
Professor Vic Rayner OBE, CEO of the National Care Forum, said: “Social care providers, especially not for profit providers, are deeply rooted in their local communities. They bring hugely valuable expertise in meeting the current and future needs of their wider communities, as well as deep insight and understanding of the people and communities they service. It’s therefore essential that social care providers play a central role, alongside other local partners, in the shaping and delivery of health and social care services through the ICS framework. Their knowledge and expertise will ensure that together with their partners they can tackle the deep-rooted health inequalities and improve the health and wellbeing of people who live and work in their area.”
More information about the resources available on Integrated Care Systems can be found on the NCF website.
Although the new ICSs will now play a major role in shaping the way the industry operates, doubt remains over whether the impact will indeed stretch far enough, given the lack of understanding among ministers as to how social care works, in particulae
Angela Nall, executive director of Pathfinders Specialist and Complex Care in Nottinghamshire, told The Leaders Council: "I think personally, the government has missed a trick. I think they’ve done that because the people putting the Health & Care Act together, I don’t believe, have a fundamental understanding of how the social care sector works.
“For instance, given what we do as a care home, it’s assumed that we simply care for the elderly. In fact, all people who come to Pathfinders for care are of working age. Most are in their thirties, forties, and fifties, and so they are very far from being elderly and have very different needs.”
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