On 27 April 2022, Public Policy Projects (PPP) hosted a roundtable entitled The Social Care Workforce: Averting a Crisis as part of its report series The Future of Social Care. The PPP Social Care Network, made up of senior cross-sector stakeholders in social care and a Lived Experience Panel, sought to find practical solutions to the challenges relating to the workforce.

The role of digital data in the UK’s healthcare systems is set to gain newfound recognition and clarity when the government unveils its Data Saves Lives strategy this spring. If it lives up to its promise, the plan will help to drive the efficiency and effectiveness of data infrastructure and promote interoperability, while establishing clear and open standards for safely sharing data.

A new pilot project in the North East and North Cumbria aims to drive air quality improvement at an NHS systems level.

Over half of Brits (55 per cent) feel their health has been negatively affected by the rising cost of living, according to a YouGov poll commissioned by the Royal College of Physicians (RCP).

Integrated Care Journal speaks with Kathy Scott and Aejaz Zahid of the Yorkshire & Humber Academic Health Science Network (AHSN) on how the implementation of a dedicated innovation hub within ICS frameworks has helped to streamline innovation and improve patient care. Above: Barnsley Hospital, part of South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw ICS.

Martin Skipper, Head of Policy for the LDC Confederation, discusses how the organisation is taking an active approach to addressing racism, working as part of the London Workforce Race Equality Strategy (WRES), to ensure that the dental profession benefits from the programme of work.

More than half a million adults in England are waiting for social care assistance, says the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (Adass), as staff shortages continue to impact the provision of care.

The Queen’s Speech yesterday outlined government plans to change the Mental Health Act 1983, empowering the individual to have more control over their care.

CloserStill Media, organisers of The Healthcare Show, taking place at ExceL London on 18-19 May 2022, are delighted to announce that over 3,000 healthcare professionals are registered to attend the largest, senior gathering of UK healthcare leaders.

TPP SystmOne Maternity technology goes live at Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation, digitising the entire maternity pathway, from ante to postnatal care.

The government’s failure to reform social care funding in the Health and Care Act is compounding regional health inequalities, writes Kari Gerstheimer, CEO and Founder of Access Social Care.

With the current increased demand within health and care, it is vitality important for providers to recover from the pandemic and address the challenges faced around growing elective care backlogs, staffing pressures and rising costs.

Stroke is the single largest cause of complex disability and long-term thinking around stroke aftercare is critical in easing pressure on health and social care.

The Royal College of Physicians is warning that the combination of an ageing population and a lack of NHS workforce planning means the country is risking an unavoidable crisis in social care for older people.

The government has published its eagerly awaited Integration white paper, designed to clarify exactly how integrated services will improve care for patients and end users across England.

Chris Green MP, Chair of the APPG for Healthcare Infrastructure, calls for the government to properly prioritise the primary care estate in its upcoming refresh of the Health Infrastructure Plan.

While many of the measures in Rishi Sunak’s statement were welcomed, health leaders warn the government must go further to safeguard public health amid a spiralling cost of living crisis.

Members of NHS team running review of primary care within integrated care systems met with National Pharmacy Association representatives this week.

Cheshire and Merseyside ICS have launched a suite of new teledermatology technology as part of an initiative to streamline the triaging and referral of dermatology patients.

To achieve the NHS Long Term Plan goal of preventing health inequalities and improving health outcomes, the voices of those delivering and receiving dental care on a local level must be prioritised.

Primary care at scale (PCaS) entered the lexicon of healthcare in the NHS in England over 10 years ago. It should be regarded as a set of principles rather than an organisational form, albeit when these principles are applied, a larger provider organisation often results. However, there are many ways of delivering PCaS.

The concurrent challenges of Covid-19 and longstanding issues with regards to dental access provides a unique opportunity to provide desperately needed reform to NHS dentistry.

The government has published its eagerly awaited Integration white paper, designed to clarify exactly how integrated services will improve care for patients and end users across England.

The National Care Forum (NCF), the membership organisation for not-for-profit organisations in the care and support sector, has created a range of dedicated resources and information to help social care providers understand, navigate, and improve the integration between health and social care as they prepare for the integrated care systems (ICSs) to go-live on 1 July 2022.

MPs in Yorkshire, the Midlands and the North East should vote down the government’s social care cap amendment to save their poorer constituents from ‘crippling care costs’, warn the Health Foundation and the King’s Fund.

With the conflict in Ukraine raging, care employers are working together to provide opportunities for those displaced to work and find a home in the UK.

On the 16th March 2022, Public Policy Projects (PPP) hosted an evidence session entitled The Social Care Workforce: Averting a Crisis as part of its report series The Future of Social Care. PPP's Social Care Network examines the most urgent issues facing social care and presents tangible solutions to address workforce challenges in the sector.

While many of the measures in Rishi Sunak’s statement were welcomed, health leaders warn the government must go further to safeguard public health amid a spiralling cost of living crisis.

Sarah Boyd, Head of Digital Experience and Transformation at Norfolk & Waveney Health and Social Care Partnership (NWHSCP), explores how her integrated care system (ICS) is using digital health to improve patient inclusion and help reduce health inequalities.

John Bryant, Head of Strategy and Development for Torbay Council, outlines a series of practical steps to enhance the role of the care worker and address the growing crisis in domiciliary care.

Public Policy Projects (PPP) has launched its first Social Care Network report, Mind the Cap: choices and consequences for financing social care, addressing the need for radical financial restructuring within the UK social care system.

The government has announced its plans for social care reforms – but do they go far enough to address the issues endemic to social care?

On 31 January, Sajid Javid, Health and Social Care Secretary, announced a U-turn on the Government’s Vaccination as a Condition of Deployment in health and social care settings (VCOD) policy. This move was anticipated by the press but for providers evoked despair and frustration.

For years now, policymakers and health sector stakeholders have pushed for a joined-up system of heath and care. Yet, despite repeated legislative endeavours, there is a worrying lack of clarity as to what successful integration truly looks like.

In the face of unprecedented challenge for the sector, many adult social care providers are demonstrating their ability to deliver impressive tech systems. Louis Holmes, Senior Policy Officer for Care England writes for ICJ.