Joint Future Integrated Community Care

A Joint Future – what is it?

The Minister for Health and Community Care set up the Joint Future group to "find ways to improve joint working and rebalance services for older people". The Minister accepted the recommendations made in January 2001 for implementation from April 2002.

The Joint Future Unit recommendations are aimed at ensuring

• Quicker and simpler access to services; 
• Better outcomes for people who use services and their carers; 
• Better use of resources, with decisions about their use which are transparent and in line with shared priorities; 
• Better management of services under single managers; 
• Better systems, with less bureaucracy and duplication and clearer responsibilities;

The recommendations have been broadly welcomed by professionals and by service users and carers as they represent a real opportunity to overcome many of the barriers which have frustrated the successful delivery of seamless community care services since the implementation of the policy almost a decade ago.

The recommendations of "A Joint Future" are initially for older people, but key principles will also be translated for other user groups during 2002/03.

For more information on what is happening in the Highlands, click on the links to the right.