Title

HEALTH

Health and care integration: is it worth it?

Is health and care integration worth all the effort when the two systems are on their knees and everything seems to get harder and harder, asks managing director of Roretti Sanjay Mackintosh. 'The answer is it has to be.'

Like previous iterations – the Better Care Fund and Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships to name a couple – integrated care boards (ICBs) and integrated care partnerships (ICPs) are the next step on the journey with deeper involvement from local authorities, the voluntary and community sector, and members of the public in governance and decision making.

All very sensible. But things took a turn last year when ICBs were tasked by NHS England with reducing their running costs by 20% by April 2024, and a further 10% by April 2025.

As a result, a few things are happening around the country that appear to be flying in the face of what integrated health and care should be. Some ICBs are making savings by exiting their section 75 arrangements – longstanding agreements between local authorities and the NHS to align or pool their funding and jointly invest in services that deliver health and social care outcomes for local people. Combine this with the financial pressures local authorities are facing across the country where continued savings are being made in children's and adult services, the worry is that immediate challenges around money will undo some fantastic services for local people – and they won't even be part of that conversation.

So is health and care integration worth all the effort when the two systems are on their knees and everything seems to get harder and harder? The answer is it has to be. Where ICBs and local authorities have created historically strong local relationships, they are using this to ride the storm of their financial challenges and protect valuable services for as long as possible.

But think of it from the individual's perspective – all they have ever wanted is joined up health and social care when they need it. It has to be worth it for them. I just hope the powers that be realise that this is why we're doing it.

We'll be at The MJ's Future Forum South reflecting on this a bit more.

Sanjay Mackintosh is managing director of Roretti

www.roretti.com

This article is sponsored content for The MJ

HEALTH

Districts should be rewarded for growing housing

By Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen | 04 August 2025

Districts that have proportionately grown their housing by two-thirds more than average councils should be rewarded, not punished, argues Sam Chapman-Allen.

HEALTH

Reorganisation plans to include social care partnerships

By Martin Ford | 04 August 2025

Councils will have to set out plans for partnership working in social care as part of reorganisation proposals, local government minister Jim McMahon has said.

HEALTH

From duty to delivery

By Annabel Smith | 01 August 2025

Annabel Smith sets out how to effectively embed place-led collaboration.

HEALTH

A missed opportunity?

By Dawn Redpath | 31 July 2025

The Government must look beyond its heartlands in its efforts to drive growth, says Dawn Redpath.

Popular articles by Sanjay Mackintosh