Going round in circles? Joint working between primary health and social care
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine research evidence on collaboration between primary and adult social care in strategic, rather than operational, activities at two different time points, following large-scale changes within the health and social care environments; and discuss the prospects for the future.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper reports evidence from two substantial longitudinal studies (Dowling and Glendinning, 2003; Checkland et al., 2012) which followed the development of Primary Care Groups and Trusts (PCG/Ts) and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), respectively. Each used a combination of national surveys and local in-depth case studies to trace the early development of new structures and ways of working following major changes in the NHS and local government.
Findings
PCG/Ts had limited success in collaborating with adult social care partners. Health and Well-being Boards offer a new overarching organisational framework for collaborative strategic working between GP-led CCGs and adult social care services. Mandated joint strategic needs assessments also provide a shared framework within which commissioning decisions by both CCGs and social services are made. However, there remains evidence of long-standing barriers, particularly differences in geographic boundaries and in organisational and professional cultures.
Research limitations/implications
Evidence from both studies is based on the early years of the respective new organisations; later evidence may have yielded a different picture.
Originality/value
This is the first paper reflecting on developments in strategic relations between primary and social care from researchers involved with two longitudinal investigations of the early development of PCG/Ts (1999-2002) and CCGs (2011-ongoing).
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The original work (Dowling and Glendinning, 2003) was funded by the Department of Health via the National Primary Care Research and Development Centre (NPCRDC). The current study is also funded by the Department of Health via the Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System (PRUComm). The views expressed are however those of the researchers and not necessarily those of the Department of Health.
Citation
Coleman, A. and Glendinning, C. (2015), "Going round in circles? Joint working between primary health and social care", Journal of Integrated Care, Vol. 23 No. 2, pp. 53-61. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICA-01-2015-0003
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2015, Emerald Group Publishing Limited