Integrated care systems in the English NHS: A critical view

The article offers those working in child health care an examination of the evolution of the broader health policy context in England since 2012. While policy has attempted to transform the English NHS into what is described as a more integrated, less fragmented service, it has encountered numerous obstacles. The article traces the development of policy from the 2012 Health and Social Care Act, through Vanguard projects and Sustainability and Transformation Plans to Accountable Care Organisations and Integrated Care Organisations. The obstacles encountered include severe funding constraints, planning assumptions which lack a solid evidence base, a legislative framework antithetical to integration and the controversial character of a policy innovation which, it has been suggested, is derived from an international project under the auspices of the World Economic Forum.