Recommendation 21

The Government should expand the use of Section 75 of the NHS Act 2006 by enabling and encouraging more widespread pooling of budgets between NHS bodies and local authorities. This expansion should support the inclusion of a broader range of services—such as housing and education— within Section 75 arrangements to facilitate integrated commissioning and service delivery. Clearer governance and greater cross-cutting oversight of these arrangements would allow funding to follow need rather than organisational boundaries, enabling more person-centred, coordinated support for people with SMI. (Recommendation, Paragraph 143)