Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress is being made on the joining up of the Health and Care systems in West Sussex.

Like all local areas, West Sussex local authorities and clinical commissioning groups have pooled budgets under the Better Care Fund (BCF) for the purposes of integrated care, and developed BCF plans according to their local needs. All local areas, including West Sussex, have approved BCF plans in place for the current BCF round (2017/18 and 2018/19).

The BCF has incentivised collaborative working in local areas. West Sussex, like many other local areas, voluntarily pooled more BCF funds than required. Their local health and care leaders also indicated that the overall delivery of the BCF has improved joint working and integration of health and social care in their area.

The National Health Service and local authorities in Sussex and East Surrey are also in the process of developing their Sustainability and Transformation Partnership, which is committed to closer joint working between health and social care.