Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Lewer Excerpts

Tuesday 19th April 2022 Commons Chamber

[Ben Bradley (Mansfield) (Con)]

2. What steps he is taking to help ensure that health and care services are well integrated.

[Andrew Lewer (Northampton South) (Con)]

19. What steps he is taking to help ensure that health and care services are well integrated.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Sajid Javid)]

The past few years have shown that we are strongest when we work together. Earlier this year we published the integration White Paper, drawing on our experience of the pandemic to develop a plan that will bring together the NHS and local government to deliver jointly for local communities. We have also created integrated care partnerships, such as the programmes in mid-Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire, through which we are already showing how we can bring together health and local social care services.

[Sajid Javid]

I can give my hon. Friend that assurance. Of course, we are already putting in record funding for local authorities and the NHS to deal with backlogs. I believe the plan we set out earlier this month for the integration of NHS and local authority care services will make a real difference.

[Andrew Lewer]

I thank the Secretary of State for referring to the work in Northamptonshire to integrate health and social care. Can he assure me that the central role of local government in ensuring that health and social care services work together to make the most efficient use of local resources will continue? And will he give me a clear guarantee that adult social care will not be taken over by the NHS?