Measures to improve partnership working

The white paper proposes a range of measures to improve partnership working between local authorities and health services to
help deliver the government’s vision of integrated care services.

As mooted in January’s health and social care white paper, it proposes a new duty to co-operate for primary care trusts and local authorities within statutory health and wellbeing partnerships. It envisages this will lead to shared outcomes, joint
commissioning and single budgets.

The Local Government Association and Association of Directors of Social Services have been calling for such a duty to ensure that PCTs engage with councils in the well-being agenda.

It also calls for formal arrangements for directors of public health to be jointly appointed by councils and PCTs and to be held jointly accountable.

A wider use of joint appointments of senior managers across the two sectors is also encouraged.