Leading think tank to look at how best to organise health and social care

Leading health care think tank, The King’s Fund, has launched a new Commission to look at how best to organise health and social care.

The NHS and social care system were established in 1948, but since this there have been huge demographic, social and technological changes.

The Commission intends to re-examine the terms of the post-war settlement which established the NHS as a universal service, free at the point of use, and social care as a separately funded means-tested service.

Chris Ham, chief executive of The King's Fund, said: “The NHS and social care system have remained separate since their inception in 1948. Sixty-five years on, the needs of patients and service-users have changed and the world is a very different place. The time has come to return to first principles and ask whether the current arrangements are fit for purpose.”

Kate Barker, who will be chairing the Commission, said: “The issues we will be considering go to the very heart of the debate about how best to organise health and social care. I look forward to working with my fellow commissioners to consider whether, and if so how, the current settlement should be re-shaped to meet better the needs of 21st century patients and service-users.”

Kate Barker is a former member of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee and is now a holder of a number of non-executive posts.

Although it has been established by The King's Fund, the Commission’s reports and recommendations will be produced independently. An interim report will be published early next year and a final report in September 2014, in time to influence thinking ahead of the next General Election.

In addition to Kate Barker, the other commissioners are:

Geoff Alltimes, chair of the LGA multi-agency task group on health transition and previously chief executive of Hammersmith and Fulham Council and NHS Hammersmith and Fulham.

Lord Bichard, cross-bench peer and chair of the Social Care Institute for Excellence.

Baroness Greengross, cross-bench peer and chief executive of the International Longevity Centre UK.

Julian Le Grand, Richard Titmuss professor of Social Policy at the London School of Economics.

Mark Pearson, head of Health at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, will act as the Commission’s international adviser.

The Commission will consider three broad questions:

Does the boundary between health and social care need to be redrawn? If so where and how? What other ways of defining health and social care needs could be more relevant/useful?

Should the entitlements and criteria used to decide who can access care be aligned? If so, who should be entitled to what and on what grounds?

Should health and social care funding be brought together? If so, at what level (i.e. local or national) and in what ways? What is the balance between the individual and the state in funding services?