Early findings from the evaluation of the integrated care and support pioneers in England

Integrating health and social care is a priority in England, although there is little evidence that previous initiatives have reduced hospital admissions or costs. Twenty-five Integrated Care Pioneers have been established to drive change ‘at scale and pace’. The early phases of our evaluation (April 2014-June 2016) aimed to identify their objectives, plans and activities, and to assess the extent to which they have overcome barriers to integration. In the longer-term, we will assess whether integrated care leads to improved outcomes and quality of care and at what cost.