Purpose: To explore the integration of health and social care in the UK through policy and clinical guidelines and to examine how partnership
working and case management enables policy to be embedded into local practice.
Context: The UK Department of Health policy document (White Paper 2006) Our Health, Our Care, Our Say: a new Direction for Community
Services [1] focused on a new direction for the whole health and social care system.
Description: The paper and subsequent action plans targeted the way services are provided, placing greater choice and control in the hands
of people who use them. Health and Social Care services were tasked with becoming better integrated to meet the needs and
wishes of individuals with chronic illness and long-term needs. The UK's National Service Frameworks and NICE guidelines are
being implemented at local level to achieve management of chronic illness through effective case management and roles are
being evaluated to show the effect of interventions [2]. The Government report Our NHS, Our Future [3] encourages a response to the needs of local communities through integrating care to ensure that services are shaped around
the user not the organisation.
Discussion: We know that people with chronic illness are intensive users of services; that repeat admissions to hospital cause untold
distress and that this vulnerable group is increasing as our population ages. We also know that inappropriate and increased
use of services causes a financial burden in both primary and secondary care. Managed care through effective case management,
if adopted flexibly, presents an opportunity to focus on reducing costs whilst appropriately managing the health needs of
the target population.
Presentation slides available from: http://www.integratedcarenetwork.org/Sweden2008/slides/01-01-melvin.ppt
1.
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Department of health. 2006 Jan. Our health, our care, our say: a new direction for community service. Available from: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4127453.
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2.
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University of Huddersfield/Macmillan Cancer Support. 2008. Community nursing roles and the gold standards framework for community palliative care: final report to Macmillan Cancer Support. For information contact the author at: jmelvin@caremaxintl.com.
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3.
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Department of health. 2007 Oct. Our NHS Our Future: NHS next stage review: interim report. Available from: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_079077.
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