King's Fund: Realising the potential of integrated care systems (16 July 2024)

Summary

Integrated care systems (ICSs) were created to increase collaboration in the health and social care sector and to enable the NHS, local authorities and other partners to take collective responsibility for improving health outcomes, reducing inequalities, delivering better value for money, and driving local social and economic development.

This research from the King's Fund examines the development of ICSs by assessing their efforts to develop system-wide approaches to the recruitment, training and retention of staff. The findings are based on 24 in-depth interviews with local leaders in four case study sites plus a series of online workshops.

Content

The research found that there are clear signs that progress is being made. It found evidence of ICSs beginning to build a ‘whole-system’ approach to workforce, in which local organisations work together more closely to tackle shared workforce issues and develop new solutions that better meet the needs of the local population. The research identified several specific ways in which ICSs are enabling this to happen.

Despite these signs of progress, some of the more transformative work planned by ICSs is proceeding at a slower pace than intended as a result of the extremely challenging circumstances in which ICSs have been introduced. There is widespread concern that ICSs may not achieve their full potential unless more is done to create an environment conducive to their success.

The behaviours of national, regional and local leaders will make or break ICSs. There is an urgent need to ensure that accountability arrangements drive behaviours that reinforce system working rather than undermine it. Success depends on supporting people at all levels to think, plan and act in ‘system-focused’ ways.