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The development of integrated, person-centred services is one of the highest priorities for the NHS, and is the subject of several strategies and initiatives.

NHS Five Year Forward View (2014) sets out a wide ranging set of ambitions and plans for the NHS; and emphasises an approach of ‘horses for courses’ not ‘one size fits all’ – integration needs to be defined and developed locally, working with colleagues, patients and the public.

“Increasingly we need to manage systems – networks of care – not just organisations. Out-of-hospital care needs to become a much larger part of what the NHS does. And services need to be integrated around the patient.”

Next Steps on the NHS Five Year Forward View: Integrating care locally (2017) reinforces the concept of integrated care and provides more guidance on the critical importance of collaborative working within local health systems, via the Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STP). It reinterates the importance of engaging with colleagues, patients, carers and the public.

General Practice Forward View (2016) was developed by NHS England with the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) and Health Education England (HEE).  Among many other elements, it contains steps to support primary care practices to re-design the services offered to patients.

The Integrated Care Framework aims to help colleagues at all levels to understand and enact integrated care services for their locality.