Planning and delivering integrated health and social care: guidance

3. Takes account of the particular needs of service-users in different part of the area in which the service is being provided

Health and social care services must be designed around the needs of the people who use them. This means listening to, and working with, communities so that health and social care services respond to their particular circumstances.

Participation of local people in the planning, development and delivery of health and social care services will bring this principle to life. This means planning processes need to be accessible and inclusive and reach people whose voices may not normally be heard. Third sector organisations are often well placed to help with this.

By working with communities, all integrated service planning, development and delivery should reflect the distinctive needs, demography and assets of different geographical communities within the partnership area. The circumstances of communities will change over time and planning will need to consider likely changes in the population. It should also involve people who may not currently access services, but who will in the future.

Appropriate decision making and control of resources will need to be delegated to the most local level to help shape services that are responsive to local needs. This may require development investment in very local capacity and resources.

The strategic needs assessment that will help to direct a partnership’s investment decisions through a robust strategic plan will need to reflect the distinctive needs of different communities rather than simply combine data at partnership level.

Given the different asset bases of diverse communities, and the need to address health inequalities, partnerships will need to consider how they will allocate resources in ways that will enable their communities to achieve equitable outcomes.