Through November and December Skills for Care is highlighting the importance of integrated working across health and care services.

The ‘Integrated working and social care’ spotlight will explore what integrated working means, why it matters, and how it’s shaping the future of care and support.

Integrated working brings together social care, health, housing, community organisations and other services to deliver better, more connected outcomes for people who draw on care and support.

Skills for Care explained that when services work together, people only need to tell their story once, reducing duplication and gaps in support, focusing on what really matters: people’s wellbeing and independence.

The ‘Integrated working and social care’ spotlight comes as the 10-year Health Plan shows the need for focus on preventative care and local services, with three key shifts in how services operate. These are:

• Moving more care from hospitals to communities.

• Making better use of technology in health and care.

• Focusing on preventing sickness, not just treating it.

Neighbourhood Health Services will link up care providers, GPs, social workers, nurses and other health and care professionals to bring care and support closer to home.

Skills for Care is an advisory body on the integrated working agenda. It is working in every part of the country, helping ensure the adult social care workforce is recognised and understood, and that the sector is connected to the development of integrated neighbourhood services.

Running across the Skills for Care website, social media and other communications channels, the spotlight will help raise awareness and knowledge of these current developments, as well as looking more widely at what integrated working means and how it supports better outcomes – pointing to useful resources and showcasing examples of integrated working in action.

Oliver French, head of national engagement at Skills for Care, said: “I’m really pleased that we are shining our spotlight on integrated working in the coming months, as this is such an important topic for everyone working across social care.

“It’s a really exciting time at the moment with developments such as the piloting of Neighbourhood Health Services.

“Integrated working is ultimately about providing more seamless, person-centred care for those who draw on support. It means people only having to tell their story once and less fragmentation across services. Our spotlight will help bring to life those real, tangible benefits.”

Stay updated with the spotlight using #IntegratedWorking on LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Facebook, as well as through Skills for Care’s regular newsletters and communications.  

Visit Skills for Care’s dedicated spotlight page to learn more about ‘Integrated working and social care’.