NHS Providers' response to the Nuffield Trust report 'Integrating health and social care'

14 December 2021

Responding to the Nuffield Trust report Integrating health and social care, the director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, Miriam Deakin said:

"Integration must be approached with the aim of improving outcomes and the experience for patients.

"We welcome this helpful and timely report, evaluating different approaches to integration between health and social care to date.

"We agree with the report's authors that particular structural solutions will not provide the answer alone and that behaviours and relationships form the basis for collaborative working.

"As the report identifies, resources and skills on the front line also make a fundamental difference.

"Alongside a focus on integration with the NHS, there remains a need for tangible, fully funded measures to improve pay and to tackle high vacancy levels in the social care workforce, to support the provider market, and to increase access and improve quality of care. We know that without this, it will be difficult for systems to make the progress they want to make on improving outcomes for their populations – including reducing health inequalities.

"We look forward to engaging with national colleagues, and with our members, to inform the integration white paper in the weeks and months to come."