NHS staff identify different obstacles to more integrated services

A straw poll of NHS leaders has revealed a number of potential obstacles to the delivery of more integrated health and social care models within the UK health service.

The Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and the NHS Confederation quizzed social service directors and senior leaders of clinical commissioning groups on the key factors that are helping and hindering this process.

Data and IT systems were highlighted as the most prominent obstacle, with 64 percent citing this factor, while payment mechanisms and financial pressures were also highlighted as problematic.

On the flipside, the biggest positive contributor was identified as strong leadership and commitment from senior leaders, with more than 80 percent saying this is helping to drive forward integration on a local level.

NHS Confederation director of policy Dr Johnny Marshall said: "The job now for health and care leaders is to make sure we address residual barriers so the passion of our staff to integrate care around individuals is allowed to flourish."

Last month, the government confirmed in its Spending Review that a 3.8 billion pooled health and social care budget is to be launched as part of efforts to improve the integration of care.