MPs consult RCN members on health and social care integration

Published: 08 May 2013

RCN members met with Labour MPs for a roundtable discussion on health and social care integration on Tuesday 7 May.

Shadow Health Secretary Andy Burnham MP and Shadow Care Minister Liz Kendall MP requested the meeting as part of a national consultation on their root and branch review of Labour’s health and care policy. The group included representatives from across the wide spectrum of nursing care, including members of various RCN forums and committees, from health care support workers to directors of nursing.

“Let’s let people do what they want to do – collaborate, not compete,” said Andy Burnham as he introduced his vision for “whole person care”, which would involve the integration of physical, mental and social care into one care system centred on all of the person’s needs.

The MPs sought members’ views on how integration might work, and the group provided useful insights into the practicalities of trying to join the systems. Both MPs acknowledged nurses’ important role in the commissioning process and expressed a desire to continue to work with the RCN to develop their policy.

The RCN is politically neutral and works impartially with all political parties on behalf of members and for the benefit of patient care.