Health and social care integration and local accountability are not new concepts. They have been considered as options for improving local service delivery since as far back as 1974 when community health services and social care were split between the NHS and local government.
Today, rising demand for health and social care, combined with increasingly scarce resources, is leading to renewed interest in ‘integrated care’ as a potential solution. The NHS Confederation and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) have developed a joint programme of work looking at the issues around the commissioning and provision of integrated health and social care services. This discussion paper is one of the first outputs from a work plan which will continue throughout the year.