Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Better Care Fund programme on the most vulnerable people in society.

The Better Care Fund (BCF), first announced in Spending Round 2013 and implemented in 2015-16, is the first national, mandatory integration policy. In pooling funds, it has helped to join-up health and care services so that older people, and those with complex health needs, can manage their own health and wellbeing and live independently in their communities for as long as possible.

An evaluation of the BCF is underway, although it is currently too early to make a conclusive assessment, we do know that the BCF has been successful in incentivising local areas to work together. 90% of areas agreed, or strongly agreed, that the delivery of BCF plans had a positive impact on integration and joined up working locally.