Source · Select Committees · Health and Social Care Committee
Recommendation 1
1
Accepted
Paragraph: 17
Integrated Care Systems require balance between local priorities and national accountability.
Conclusion
It is clear that Integrated Care Systems offer a new way of working across health and social care. They encourage collaboration with a range of partners and a focus on what matters to their local populations. This fundamental premise needs to be balanced within a national service, funded by taxpayers and accountable to Parliament. It is therefore right that DHSC and NHS England set some of the priorities that ICSs should be working towards.
Government Response Summary
The government acknowledged the importance of outcomes-based targets and stated its existing approach includes the Levelling Up health mission and a reduction to 31 national NHS objectives for 2023-24, balancing national and local target setting.
Paragraph Reference:
17
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
DHSC and NHS England acknowledge the importance of outcomes-based targets in driving improvements in health and social care services and agree that other measures and targets may be needed alongside outcomes to demonstrate progress or to address key issues of public concern. There are clearly areas of particular national importance where we will set both a future target and a trajectory towards it, but there will also be areas where it is appropriate for local systems to set their own targets or areas where there may be a future national target where it makes sense for local systems to determine their trajectory of delivery against it. DHSC has already committed to a UK-wide Levelling Up health mission to narrow the gap in healthy life expectancy ( HLE ) at birth between local areas where it is highest and lowest by 2030, and increase HLE by 5 years by 2035, as announced in the Levelling Up white paper. The public rightly expects improvements to access to health services as well as longer-term health outcomes, including getting a GP appointment, receiving routine treatments and procedures, and being able to rely on urgent and emergency services when needed. We also recognise the benefit of the centre focusing on a small core set of priorities, which has been reflected in the reduction to 31 national NHS objectives within the 2023 to 2024 priorities and operational planning guidance, and will be reflected in the forthcoming mandate to NHS England.