Published 2 November 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4515
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4515

News

Distinctions between health and social care could fade under new national care service

Adrian O’Dowd

1 London

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The distinction between health and social care in England could become less precise under UK government plans to move the two closer together, MPs have been told.

Department of Health officials, who were giving evidence to the parliamentary health select committee on 29 October, said that the current plan to reform social care would mean a much closer relationship between it and the health service.

The government published its green paper Shaping the Future of Care Together in July, with the intention of reforming social care funding and delivery by creating a new national care service, which would be on an almost equal footing with the NHS.

That paper proposes several funding options. A consultation period is running until mid-November, with a white paper due next year.

As part of its new inquiry into social care, the health select committee MPs asked Department of Health officials where health began and . . . [Full text of this article]


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