Lords Committee Hears From Senior DHSC Officials On Tackling Barriers To Health Integration

Today, Monday 5 June the House of Lords Integration of Primary and Community Care Committee will hold two evidence sessions including one with senior policy officials from the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) as it continues its inquiry into how primary and community care can be further integrated.

The first session with DHSC officials will explore steps the Department has taken to address the barriers to integration which have been highlighted by witnesses during the course of the inquiry. In the second session, the committee will explore how multi-disciplinary working can benefit primary care, as well as how primary care networks can be better integrated with the wider health service.

The first evidence session will start at 3.05pm and can be watched live or on demand at Parliament TV or in person in Palace of Westminster (committee room tbc).

The witnesses giving evidence to the committee will be:

3.05pm

• Dr Edward Scully, Director, Primary and Community Health Care, Department for Health and Social Care;
• Jason Yiannikkou, Director, NHS Legislation Programme Team, Department for Health and Social Care;
• Mark Joannides, Deputy Director, General Practice; and
• Helen Causley, Deputy Director, Community Health Care.

3.55pm

• Professor Kath Checkland, Professor of Health Policy and Primary Care, University of Manchester;
• Dr Jane Harvey, Clinical Director, Hyde Primary Care Network and General Practitioner Principal and Partner, Dukinfield Medical Practice; and
• Sian Thomas, Chief Operations Officer, the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust Primary Care Network.

Questions may include:

• Who is personally responsible in central government for the success of integration?

• How far is the physical co-location of primary and other community services necessary to enable integration and improve patient access? Is this a priority for the Department and if so, what steps are being taken?

• Many witnesses have expressed concern that staff shortages are a key limiting factor for integrated working in primary care, community health services and social care. What is the Department doing to address this?

• What is the evidential basis for the efficacy of multi-disciplinary working? How does it improve health and care outcomes?

• What is your experience of the new Primary Care Network structures? How far do they facilitate increased integration within the NHS and between the NHS and other partners?

• What further initiatives would you like to see the Government make to better equip the primary care estate for integrated working?