Health Management and Policy Alert

Specialised services and system working

NHS Providers - 

This briefing outlines NHS England’s changes to specialised commissioning, beginning April 2023, as well as NHS Providers analysis of the benefits and risks that come with greater system leadership.

• Briefing
• More detail

Home is at the heart of inclusion health – here's why

The King's Fund - 

In this King's Fund blog, Jackie Stevens, Associate Director of strategic work programmes at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care System, writes about work to make home the heart of inclusion health in one integrated care system.

• Blog

People, partnerships and place

Nuffield Trust - 

Integrated care systems are now legally responsible for leading the charge on using a localised approach to bring multiple aspects of the health care system closer together, and for working better with social care and other public services. But this is far from a new aspiration - why should it be any different this time? Nuffield Trust hosted a series of roundtables to discuss concerns with stakeholders and experts and understand how to ensure the aims are achieved. This briefing consolidates these findings and offers ways forward as the new era gets underway.

• Briefing
• More detail

Are local authorities equal partners in statutory integrated care systems?

The King's Fund - 

Chris Naylor, Senior Fellow at The King's Fund, considers the role local authorities are playing in integrated care systems, and how these partnerships are navigating some of the complex issues they face.

• Blog

Hewitt review: call for evidence

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - 

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has appointed the Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt to consider the oversight and governance of integrated care systems (ICSs). The DHSC has now launched a call for evidence to gather views from across the health and social care system, as well as from patients, the public, and the wider voluntary sector. The consultation closes at 11:45pm on 9 January 2023.

• Consultation
• More detail

Integrating care: policy, principles and practice for places

Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) - 

This report provides an overview of the changes since the Health and Care Act 2022 was introduced and discusses what integration is seeking to achieve. It considers the wider health and care landscape in the current climate and addresses the remaining challenges at place level. The recommendations and case studies it contains are intended to influence the development of further policy and guidance by central government, and to provide support for practitioners at local level. The purpose of the report is to help health and local government partners to find effective solutions to the challenges of health and care integration.

• Report
• Press release

Unlocking the NHS’s social and economic potential: a maturity framework

NHS Confederation -
This toolkit aims to help systems gauge and track their progress on unlocking social and economic development. The guidance explores what social and economic development is, why it matters to the NHS and how integrated care systems might deliver this to benefit its services.

• Guidance
• NHS Confederation - publications

Talking about homes: the foundation for a decent life

Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) - 
The way we talk about homes and housing matters. This framing strategy is intended to help anyone talking and writing about homes to tell a new story. It explains how to build support for solutions which will make our housing system better.

• Framework

Hewitt review: terms of reference

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - 
The Hewitt review will consider how the oversight and governance of integrated care systems (ICSs) can best enable them to succeed, balancing greater autonomy and robust accountability with a particular focus on real time data shared digitally with the Department of Health and Social Care, and on the availability and use of data across the health and care system for transparency and improvement. This sets out the terms of reference for the independent review of integrated care systems led by Rt Hon Patricia Hewitt.

• Terms of reference

The evolving role of county authorities in integrated care systems

County Councils Network - 
This report analyses the new systems which replaced Clinical Commissioning Groups this year from the perspective of councils. The study, commissioned by the County Councils Network, is based on a survey and interviews with local authorities in county areas and senior health officials. The report finds that local government is spending more time with NHS colleagues, with 80 per cent of council respondents saying they have increased their time working with health partners since the inception of ICSs. Local authorities also report being cautious about pooling further resources with the NHS at a time when finances are stretched. It recommends that the government and health service review the level of centrally imposed targets on ICSs, particularly in shared policy areas with local government, which could help move towards a culture shift that gives greater prominence to prevention.

• Report
• County Councils Network - news