This paper assesses the recommendations and proposals contained in Transforming Your Care, the recent review of health and social care in Northern Ireland, in the context of the existing integrated structures. It is designed to promote a better understanding of the implications of the proposed reconfiguration of health and social care.
This paper reviews a number of published documents encompassing an independent review and subsequent plans and strategies. It also draws upon a case study of a Rapid Access Clinic undertaken by the authors as part of a wider research project.
The paper concludes that the planned changes question the ability of an integrated structure operating across primary, secondary and social care. It notes that there are real concerns about the capacity of the social care workforce to deliver services. It is suggested that the proposal for Integrated Care Partnerships can be seen as a reflection of the need for a more localised approach to delivery.
The findings are derived from a small‐scale study and as such may make generalisation difficult. There is a clear need for a more robust evidence‐based approach to the evaluation of structural integration in health and social care and a process for monitoring of this change process.
The article is a reminder of the unique example of structural integration within the UK. As such it could have important lessons for England, Scotland and Wales which are moving in a similar direction.
