The Community Network, which is jointly hosted by NHS Providers and NHS Confederation, has submitted written evidence, in April 2023, to the House of Lords inquiry into the integration of primary and community care.

The network is responding to this submission on behalf of community provider leaders, referencing, where appropriate, the overlapping challenges that are also experienced by colleagues in primary care.

The main themes in the submission are as follows:

• Main challenges facing primary and community health services.
• Barriers preventing improved integration, and how these might be overcome.
• Implications of the government's long-term workforce plan for the NHS on primary and community care staffing.
• How successful have primary care networks been in facilitating joined up working between primary and community care provision, and other parts of the system?
• The benefits of improved access to out of hours and 24/7 services.
• To what extent have integrated care systems been able to deliver the aims they were set up to achieve?
• How existing infrastructure could be enhanced to improve the use of health technologies and possible benefits for patients.
• One key recommendation to enable effective and efficient integration in the delivery of primary and community care services.