Engage: How integration supports person-centred care

As part of their ‘Making integration happen’ campaign, Skills for Care CEO, Oonagh Smyth, discusses how integration is at the core of effective person-centred care.

Integrated care is a coordinated approach to delivering health and social care services that aims to ensure that individuals receive comprehensive and seamless support. It presents the opportunity for joint working across service providers, breaking down the traditional silos between health and social care. Ultimately, it provides us with an approach that considers all aspects of a person’s individual health and well-being needs, making it truly person-centred.

The concept of person-centred care is at the heart of modern health and social services, putting the person at the heart of decision making, aligned to the preferences, and values of each person. Effective integrated care combines services in a way that prioritises the individual, ensuring that services are tailored to meet their unique requirements.

To achieve this outcome, integrated care needs to assess both medical and social factors. A properly holistic evaluation of a person’s support requirements ensures that all aspects of an individual’s life are considered and empowers individuals to take an active role in their own care. This empowerment leads to greater satisfaction and better wellbeing outcomes, as individuals feel more in control of, empowered and engaged in their care journey.

One way in which health and social care providers can support person-centred care is through their approach to communication. Effective communication and relationship building between different services is a cornerstone of integration. When health and social care organisations consider how they can work more transparently with one another, sharing information through digital health and care records or cross-sector team meetings, critical information can be shared seamlessly in a way that results in better care for those being supported.

A person will only want to tell their story once; so it’s vital that steps are taken to record and share this information wherever a person interacts with the system. It will also prevent gaps and overlaps in services, leading to more stable and tailored support for the individual. This is especially important for people wishing to continue to live well with long terms conditions.

A central feature of integrated care is the coordination of care plans between health and social care providers. Plans that are created through collaboration between healthcare providers, social care workers, and the individuals themselves support better outcomes than those created in a traditional silo fashion. Organisations such as integrated care systems (ICS) can support the creation of such plans by facilitating conversations and relationships between health and care providers that support the same people.

Integrated care is pivotal in supporting person-centred care by creating a unified approach that prioritises the individual needs of those supported. This approach not only enhances the quality of care but also significantly improves the overall well-being and satisfaction of individuals being supported.

You can find out more about Skills for Care’s ‘Making integration happen’ campaign by visiting: https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/integratedcare

About The Author

Oonagh Smyth (pictured) is CEO of Skills for Care – the workforce development charity for the 1.5 million people who work in adult social care in England and the strategic delivery partner for the Department of Health and Social Care. Prior to starting in Skills for Care in 2020, Oonagh was the Executive Director of Strategy and Influence in Mencap, her role covered three countries and she led governance, strategy, programme delivery and influencing work.

Picture (c) Skills For Care.