Integration of Health and Social Care Services

Promoters:

Glasgow City Council.

Country:

United Kingdom

An integrated approach that transforms the way in which health and social care services are delivered, with the aim of supporting older people to remain in their homes, lead healthy lives, and be assisted as far as possible within community settings.

What solution does the innovation propose?

Through the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014, local authorities and health boards are required by law to work together to plan and deliver adult community health and social care services, including those for older people. This way of working is sometimes referred to as ‘Health and Social Care Integration’. At its heart, integration is about ensuring that those who use community health and social care services get the right care and support at the right time and in the right setting, at any point in their care journey, with a focus on person-centred, community-based, accessible and preventative care.

By efficiently deploying multi-professional and multi-agency resources, integrated and co-ordinated care systems, this approach aims to achieve faster access, effective treatment and care, respect for people’s preferences, support for self-care and the involvement of family and carers.

Recognitions

Holyrood Digital Health and Care Awards, Accessing Mental Health Care category (2019).

Impact evidence

Outcomes

Glasgow’s latest report shows significant progress in:

reducing delayed discharges from hospital;
more people being supported to live at home;
more older people with anticipatory care plans;
more carers being supported in their caring role;
the delivery of new residential and day care facilities for older people.

Sources

Annual performance reports.

How does it work?

Within Glasgow, Glasgow City Council and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde have integrated the planning and delivery of all community health and social care services, including services for children, adults, older people, along with homelessness and criminal justice services. The integrated planning and delivery is led and directed by the Glasgow City Integration Joint Board, with the Council and Health Board delivering services under the banner of the ‘Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership.’The partnership involves 7,800 social workers (Glasgow City Council) and health workers (NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde).

The integrated health and social care is being taken forward not only through the re-design of services but also through new capital spending, for example in a Health and Care Centre Hub in North East Glasgow that will give local people access to a wide range of state-of-the-art services under one roof.