A disproportionate amount of health funding still goes into acute care, even though there is incontrovertible evidence that investment in prevention and early intervention saves the health and social care economy money which can be reinvested in community solutions. The boundary between health and social care maintains this bias towards acute care, as do the barriers within the NHS itself, e.g. between the management of acute and chronic conditions, or between secondary and primary care. 

The Government has put individual well-being at the heart of the Care Bill. The College of Social Work believes that the well-being principle, if it is fully implemented as part of the legislation, can effect a deep-seated change in community-based health and social care services and improve the lives of the people who use those services. 

This document was produced in response to a call for evidence by The King’s Fund’s Commission on the future of health and social care.