Source · Select Committees · Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee
Recommendation 34
34
Acknowledged
Paragraph: 143
Integration strategies should seek to integrate not just health and care but health, care and...
Recommendation
Integration strategies should seek to integrate not just health and care but health, care and housing. Ensuring there is holistic care that fits around a person’s needs includes preventing care needs from arising by having suitable housing, enabling people to live independently in their own homes, and ensuring that people receive the right care and support in the right setting, recognising that most people who receive care do so in their own home. Getting housing arrangements right for people is an essential part of the equation. We recommend that integrated health strategies have proper regard to a person’s housing needs as part of their care provision.
Government Response Summary
The government agrees that holistic care should include housing and highlights examples of integrated approaches in areas like Greater Manchester and states their Integrated Care Strategy guidance encourages integrated care partnerships to have a joined-up approach to housing.
Paragraph Reference:
143
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The government agrees that ensuring there is holistic care that fits around people’s needs includes ensuring that people receive the right care and support, and can maintain healthy independent living, beginning with where they live, and the people they live with. Getting these housing arrangements right for individuals and communities is one example that requires the joining up of not just health and care partners, but a wider set of local government functions and housing providers. We want people to have choice over their housing arrangements, and we also want to ensure places ‘think housing and community’ when they develop local partnerships and plan and deliver health and care services. We already see an example of this within the devolved Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership where Bury Council brings together the governance of health and social care. This includes pooled budgets, and strategic commissioning across adult social care and health including housing, public health, drug and alcohol services, and children’s social care, allowing for joint workforce planning and commissioning of services to meet needs in a holistic way. We also recognise that for those who draw on care and support, the right housing arrangements can be critical to supporting independent living outside of residential and institutional settings. We have published guidance on the preparation of integrated care strategies which encourages integrated care partnerships to explore the opportunities by having a joined-up approach to the planning, commissioning and delivery of housing and services related to housing, when setting out how they will meet assessed needs. Our Integrated Care Strategy guidance published in July 2022 sets out that the development of integrated care strategies should explore the opportunities of having a joined-up