Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to improve integration between social care and NHS services in rural areas.

The Department is committed to improving integration between health and social care services nationally and locally, including in rural areas. Our vision for neighbourhood health will see integrated teams and services designed in a way that reflects the specific needs of local populations while ensuring strong partnership working between health and social care. While the focus on personalised, coordinated care will be consistent, that will mean the service will look different in rural communities, coastal towns, or deprived inner cities.

Through the Better Care Fund, approximately £9 billion is being invested in 2025/26 to enable National Health Service bodies and local authorities to pool budgets and deliver joined-up care. This money is spent across the country, including rural areas.

As outlined in the 10-Year Health Plan and starting in the financial year 2026/27, we will reform the Better Care Fund. This reform will provide a sharper focus on ensuring consistent joint NHS and local authority funding for those services that are essential for integrated health and social care, such as hospital discharge, intermediate care, rehabilitation, and reablement.