THE GOVERNMENT’S ‘Integration and innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all’ White Paper poses a grave threat to the existing health and social care integration work of Frimley Health & Care Integrated Care System (ICS) – described as “the best in England” – say local GPs.

In a joint statement, the Primary Care Networks (PCNs) across Frimley Health & Care ICS have accused the Government of pursuing “change for change’s sake” by breaking up the highly successful GP partnership in favour of a return to a county-wide model, which will “detract from providing consistent and high-quality care”.

They added: “The Frimley Health & Care ICS has already proved itself as a highly performing system, and one of the best ICSs in England.

“The PCNs do not support the dissolution of our successful ICS without a strong and demonstrable rationale, which focuses on improving the quality of health and care services for our populations and the workforces within it.”

Issuing their own joint statement, leading Farnham GPs Dr Ed Wernick and Dr David Brown described the Frimley ICS as a “national exemplar”, adding "we have received plaudits because, while other ICSs are talking about care integration, Frimley ICS is actually doing it”.

And Farnham has been central to this trailblazing work, with the now-disbanded North East Hampshire and Farnham Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) pioneering a new model of care for general practice, community health services, and social care through the NHS Vanguard programme.

Dr Wernick and Dr Brown continued: “This programme resulted in changes to the way that GPs work across the whole of England.”

But they fear the strong relationships across local health services and social care teams that made this possible could be at risk if the ICS is split up.

They added: “Over the last five years we have collaborated closely with the local commissioners of care, the health and social care professionals working on the ground in Farnham, and our patients, to improve the provision of care and the very positive outcomes associated with this.

“We are deeply concerned that the proposed Government changes will undo our achievements.”

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