In response to the Hewitt Review on integrated care systems Eleanor Roy, CIPFA Health and Social Care Policy Manager, said:
“There is much to welcome in the Hewitt Review and lots that chimes with our own findings on integrating care.
“The overarching message on the need for health to be viewed as an asset with an emphasis on, and more investment in, upstream preventative action is greatly welcome. While the ambition to increase preventative spending from NHS budgets is admirable, a more ambitious view of place-based investment, encompassing wider determining factors of health and wellbeing, could have much greater impact on population health and addressing health disparities.
“Many of the other findings in the review closely reflect those in our recent ‘Integrating care: policy, principles and practice for places’ report, such as:
- the need for improvements in cross-government collaboration;
- a focus on a few achievable national outcomes rather than countless targets;
- an emphasis on subsidiarity to reduce centralisation, together with an appropriate shifting of resource; and
- a move towards self-improving accountable systems.
"We firmly agree with the need for robust and flexible financial frameworks to ensure financial accountability. We also welcome the recommendation that CIPFA should work with government, NHS England and others to develop a consistent system that enables the public to hold local systems to account.
"To enable integrated care systems, and their places, to reach their full potential, CIPFA hopes the government acts on the Hewitt Review recommendations and we stand ready to assist in doing so."
Notes to Editor:
Integrating care: policy, principles and practice for places is available for download on the CIPFA website.
The Hewitt Review is available on the government website.
For more information please visit the CIPFA press office.