Government denies that introduction of Better Care Fund will be delayed

The future of the Better Care Fund is in doubt after a report that the Cabinet Office has ordered a review1 and a damning criticism of the plans by a leading health policy analyst.

The fund, announced in June 2013, is designed to promote greater integration between health and social care by transferring money from NHS allocations in England to local authorities to create a £3.8bn (€4.6bn; $6.5bn) fund. By producing better care in the community through jointly agreed programmes, the fund aims to save the money it will cost by reducing admissions to hospital.

The Guardian newspaper reported on 7 May that the plan had been delayed after a Cabinet Office review concluded it would not work, citing a lack of detail about how the savings …