Responding to the publication of the integration white paper, the deputy chief executive of NHS Providers, Saffron Cordery, said:

"Trust leaders support the ambition to deliver better integrated health and care services for patients, and have been at the forefront of work to achieve this.

"That includes more integrated staffing models and pooled budgets with local authorities across a range of services.

"The government's proposals set out some helpful, long term thinking on how to develop this approach.

"To us this document feels more like a 'green' than a 'white' paper which is in itself welcome. It addresses a lot of complex issues and sets out proposals with far reaching implications that will require extensive consultation and collaboration on solutions before being taken forward.

"We are pleased that it recognises the need for flexibility, allowing places to decide which governance arrangements and leadership models to adopt to meet certain criteria, rather than impose a single model.

"However we still have significant concerns about the proposal for a single accountable person in each place. This could further complicate lines of responsibility in already complex, developing system working structures.

"Local partners across health and social care are making steps to better integrate health and care teams but they will need to be supported with much better national planning and information on workforce needs to make this a reality across the piste.

"And while pooled budgets can help align decision-making across the NHS and social care, here again, we support a flexible approach. Pooling NHS and social care budgets is no substitute for funding both systems appropriately and placing social care services on a sustainable footing.

"We would like to see greater weight given to behavioural, relational and cultural factors in supporting local integration, rather than the current focus on structures and funding mechanisms."