Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the capacity of the National Health Service in helping local authorities to improve the social care sector.

The National Health Service plays an important role by working collaboratively with local authorities to deliver social care.

Integrated care partnerships bring integrated care boards and partner local authorities together, alongside wider system partners, to agree priorities and take collaborative action to address cross-system challenges, improve outcomes, and reduce inequalities.

The Better Care Fund (BCF) is a framework for integrated care boards and local authorities to make joint plans and pool budgets for the purposes of delivering better joined-up care. The NHS makes a minimum contribution of approximately £5.6 billion to the BCF, which includes funding for social care. This supports local authorities to provide timely and joined-up support for people with more complex health and care needs.