There is a well-established interdependency between health and local government, with local authorities responsible for managing local social care markets. The stability and resilience of social services have a direct impact on the NHS. High-quality social care, if available, can keep people independent, healthy, and out of hospital.31 Despite the aspiration for ICSs to better integrate health and care, we are concerned the underlying reforms do not address long-standing differences between t...

There is a well-established interdependency between health and local government, with local authorities responsible for managing local social care markets. The stability and resilience of social services have a direct impact on the NHS. High-quality social care, if available, can keep people independent, healthy, and out of hospital.31 Despite the aspiration for ICSs to better integrate health and care, we are concerned the underlying reforms do not address long-standing differences between the sectors and may be a missed opportunity to make more meaningful progress on how the NHS and local government work together. The NHS and social care co Type: conclusion | Number: 11 | Response status: not_addressed Government response: 4.1 The government disagrees with the Committee’s recommendation. 4.2 The structures and processes in the Health and Social Care Act 2022 are specifically designed to ensure that different partners of the system support each other to overcome differences in fundi