Recent Government policy has placed a strong emphasis on improved joint working and more integrated care. That is better cohesion and co-ordination between health and social care in the planning and delivery of services to improve the quality of care for service users, patients and carers.

Integration benchmarks

The following benchmarks for fully integrated working as found in policy and research evidence are outlined in 'Bringing the NHS and local government together: A practical guide to integrated working' (CSIP, 2008)

Objectives and plans

• all set in the context of the Sustainable Community Strategy, Local Delivery Plan, Local Area Ageement and Joint Strategic Needs Assessment
• public engagement organised together
• a shared mission, binding on all partners, widely understood by stakeholders
• clarity about outcomes for users

Vision and values plans

• jointly created, defined in user-oriented terms and understood by all members of the partnership
• everyone accountable for delivering them

Use of resources plans

• all rooted in the local mission, vision and values
• financial, capital and human resources pooled, with collaborative commissioning, business planning and a single delivery process
• improvement and innovation expected and encouraged

Use of management information plans

• data shared and pooled
• orienting partners’ work to ensure effective performance

Access by the public

• a single well advertised gateway to all forms of advice and help
• knowledgeable staff signpost and organise the best responses
• clear pathways simply explained to the public
• stakeholders ‘case find’ on everyone’s behalf

Organisation of practice

• co-location of staff to facilitate face-to-face encounters between professionals
• formal team working the norm, eliminating the need to ‘refer on’ and avoiding risk of duplication
• no need for users to ‘navigate’ the gaps between services
• planned joint training and team development
• new hybrid roles encouraged

Assessment of needs

• a common process across all professions and agencies
• information freely and easily shared
• all roles and contributions understood by others
• everyone accountable for making the system work for users
• clear arrangements for joint action with the most complex situations or most vulnerable people.

Case management

• designated key workers, able to act on behalf of others
• easy communication and transitions
• shared caseload of the most vulnerable people with planned multi-disciplinary review.

Decision making with individual users

• a single process with authority delegated to front line staff and/or to users via individual budgets or other devices
• choice, innovation and personalisation of support

Individual case records

• one it-based record system used by all staff
• access for users/patients