Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to paragraph 1.55 of the NHS Long Term Plan, what the timeframe is for the (a) development and (b) implementation of the new integration index; which organisations he plans to consult the development of that index; and what criteria his Department plans to use to determine the metrics to be included in that index.

The integration ‘index’, which will be developed jointly with patient groups and the voluntary sector, will form part of a new accountability and performance framework for integrated care systems to provide a simpler, consistent set of performance measures.

Further information will be set out in the Implementation Framework for the Long Term Plan, due to be published in the spring.