Integrated care – a new reality? Putting patients at the heart of the system is the way forward, says Carly Caton, Partner at Bevan Brittan LLP
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ere in England our health system is currently undergoing (another) transformation and reorganisation. We are awaiting the passing of the Health and Care Bill, which is currently at committee stage in the House of Lords. Integrated Care Boards were meant to be up and running and take legal effect by 1 April 2022, but this date has just been postponed by 3 months to 1 July 2022. The driver behind these proposed changes is to achieve a more integrated
health system, putting patients at the heart of the system and achieving a joined up care pathway where all parts of the system are working in partnership with the same end goals. This is a concept that has been around for a long time and almost everyone, across political parties, seems to agree it is a good idea. While there are pockets of good practice in England, this has never been achieved at a grand scale – but there has never been legislation behind it before. Will it work now and what are the factors needed for true integration?
What would great integrated care look like? • The bringing together of data and information from health, social care and other support organisations in relation to care delivery, care outcomes and workforce wellbeing and satisfaction. • A people / patient centred health system. • People working together to understand a patient / service user, their needs, putting them in control and coordinating services for the best outcomes. • All of the above? When I looked for definitions or explanations of ‘integrated care’ I was met with scores of different ways of explaining
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