Report Reveals Challenges Facing Health and Social Care Integration

The Scottish Government will need to overcome significant challenges if it is to achieve its aim of integrating health and social care in Scotland, a report by Audit Scotland has revealed.

The Government’s policy aims to fundamentally change how services are delivered and improve outcomes for the people who use them. It believes that integrating health and social care will allow it to focus on meeting the challenges of Scotland’s aging population by shifting resources to community-based and preventative care at home, or in a homely setting.

A new report for the Accounts Commission and Auditor General has reviewed the progress made to establish new integration authorities (IAs), which will be responsible for planning joint health and social care services and managing budgets totalling over £8 billion by April 2016.

While 31 IAs are expected to be operational by the 1st April deadline, the report states that significant risks must be addressed if integration is to provide the substantial changes needed to health and social care.

These risks include difficulties with agreeing budgets, complex governance arrangements and workforce planning.

The report states that the IAs must set clear targets and timescales to demonstrate how integrated services will deliver care differently, to better meet people’s needs. There is also apparently evidence to suggest that IAs won’t be able to make a major impact in their first year.

"Millions of people in Scotland need and rely on health and social care services, and we know that the demand is likely to increase in the years to come,” explained Douglas Sinclair, Chair of the Accounts Commission.

“Integration has the potential to be a powerful instrument for change, and the Scottish Government, NHS boards and councils have done well to get management arrangements in place,” he added. “However, there’s a real and pressing need for integration authorities to take the lead now and begin strategically shifting resources towards a different, more community-based approach to healthcare.”

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