HFMA response / The HFMA’s response to the Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry into the white paper on health and social care

The Department of Health and Social Care published their legislative proposals for the NHS on 11 February 2021, in the Integration and innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all white paper. The HFMA has submitted evidence to the Health and Social Care Committee’s inquiry into the white paper.

Integrated care has been an essential part of the response to Covid-19 and the health and care system has demonstrated how well it can work together when traditional barriers are removed. The HFMA welcomes the move to establish integrated care systems (ICSs) as statutory organisations, addressing many of the issues raised by our members as they try to retain the benefits of the Covid-19 response. However, we are concerned that the proposed changes appear NHS centric and risk alienating local authority colleagues and other bodies in the development of an integrated approach to population health management.