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Rather than comic book heroes, it is often local heroes and the efforts of individual staff that produce co-ordinated care You would be forgiven for thinking that integration is the new fresh-faced comic book hero fearlessly felling all foes. A&E crisis? "No problem ma'am, a bit of integration will do wonders for that". Health service running out of cash? "Integration to the rescue!" Delayed discharges and poor patient experiences? "Integration will make that history". Hurrah! Back in the real world though, those of us using, managing or working in the care...

Norman Lamb says health and social care will be integrated by 2018 but underestimates the investment required There is a great deal to welcome in the announcement from health minister Norman Lamb that there will be big push to integrate health and social care, but the road ahead is longer, more difficult and considerably more costly than the government recognises. The plans provide an ambition around which all care services can unite, and there is a strong commitment to identifying and overcoming the barriers, through the work of at least three waves of large-scale pioneer areas backed up by a...

Cost-effective, person-centred, co-ordinated care requires support for local health systems so they can deliver the right care in the right settings, and develop new ways of working In recent years, the health and social care sectors have both faced a series of unprecedented challenges. These have included the upheaval caused by recent NHS reforms, a tough financial climate, and resulting pressure on services because of an increasing gap between needs and resources. So, what's the solution? For many service users, policymakers and service providers the answer is to call for more integrated...

There should be more discussion around the potential for voluntary organisations to complement the NHS In recent months, we have seen further evidence that some parts of the NHS are overstretched, struggling to cope with financial pressures and are sometimes failing to meet required quality standards. Many voluntary organisations have a detailed understanding of specific local needs, high levels of trust and engagement with local communities and the ability to work across multiple services to provide holistic care for individuals. Partnerships with the voluntary sector can be effective for the...

A report shows how stretched resources can be made to go further when health, housing and social care services collaborate For Bruce Wall, it's not about the money, it's about having his own life back. Wall, who is tetraplegic after a serious motorcycle accident nearly 20 years ago, says moving into his own adapted home managed by the Papworth Trust , a disability charity and specialist housing and support provider, has given him the independence he craves as well as access to the tailored-care package he requires. "I have been able to get on with things instead of feeling sorry for...

Hospitals are caring for those who cannot live independently, but it's costly and not accounted for in NHS budgets This will be a defining year for our NHS. Services must become more efficient if our current model of healthcare is to be considered sustainable. Recent comments from former health secretary Andrew Lansley and Mike Farrar, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, suggest that key to this is ensuring that where appropriate, patients are treated at home. An expansion of preventative, community-based care services would allow a move away from the idea of hospitals being the "place...

Medical intervention is appropriate for people who are sick, but not normally for people who are well – whether they are disabled or not Norman Lamb has been the care services minister at the Department of Health for just a few weeks, and it seems that the integration of health and social care services is one of his key interests and policy aims. But there appears to be scant consideration, by Norman Lamb, Dan Poulter or indeed the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, of whether such integration would actually deliver independent living for working age disabled adults – or, for that matter, for older...