Demand for Charing Cross A&E Service Rises by over 25%
For the last two years (since April 2014) NHS England has run a number of experiments (called "Pioneer" programmes), including in NW London, to try to integrate health (hospital) and social care, which is essential for reducing demand for hospital services and is a central part of "Sustainability and Transformation Plans" for the 44 "footprints" of England. The National Audit Office published its findings on Wednesday. It said: "Integrating the health and social care sectors is a significant challenge in normal times, let alone times when both sectors are under such severe pressure. So far, benefits have fallen far short of plans, despite much effort." "Nearly 20 years of initiatives to join up health and social care by successive governments has not led to system-wide integrated services" "The Departments [of Health and Local Government] have not yet established a robust evidence base to show that integration leads to better outcomes for patients" and finally "There is no compelling evidence to show that integration in England leads to sustainable financial savings or reduced hospital activity".Trying to mix health and social care is like trying to mix oil and water, due to the different funding and cultures. See NAO report: https://www.nao.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Health-and-social-care-integration.pdfAnd BBC news: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-38894593
Una-Jane Winfield ● 2791d0 Comments