19 June 2008
The NHS must work harder to convince a sceptical public if it is to shift care closer to patients' homes, according to the King's Fund think-tank.
In recent years, the health service in England has aimed to move care traditionally provided in hospitals into the community – to GP surgeries and, now, into the network of polyclinics proposed by health minister Lord Darzi. However, a review of the initiative by the King's Fund and consultancy Loop2, commissioned by the Department of Health, found implementation of the policy had been patchy and there was confusion about its benefits.
The report, published on June 19, says NHS leaders and politicians have yet to convince the public that the changes will improve patient care and are not financially motivated. It adds that the NHS should not underestimate how much care could be provided in patients' homes.
Loop2's Sarah Harvey, who co-authored the report, said health, housing and social services must work even more closely together. But she added: 'There is a limit to what exhorting people to “work in partnership” can do. There is a need for something more deliberate and formal to remove the barriers to integrating these services.'
King's Fund chief executive Niall Dickson said incentives did not support the policy. 'It can be difficult for commissioners to shift more care to community settings when the incentives for change are not in place,' he said.
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