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The different terms and conditions of employment for social care and NHS staff  is “probably the single biggest barrier to integrating services”, a workforce expert said today.

The Department of Health’s ambitions to create new roles that cut across sectors requires equalised terms and conditions, according to Skills for Care's north west regional chair Vic Citarella. This is a key finding of the first phase of Skills for Care’s new types of worker programme, looking at developing roles.

This week, the DH confirmed it will provide £6 million to fund the initiative for another two years.

Citarella, who chairs the programme’s monitoring group, said the second phase will look at the workforce implications of creating integrated health and social care for older people and those with long-term conditions.

It will also examine the future of social work, given the proposed shift from care management to “navigating” users around services in last year’s adult green paper.