Health and social care functions

Heath or social care?

Nothwithstanding the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in 1948 to provide all residents of UK with free healthcare at the point of need, local authorities have retained a strategic role in promoting the health and wellbeing of the residents of their local area. This is based on the premise that local government is best placed to influence many of the wider factors that affect health and well-being and to assess the public health needs of people within their own geographical area.

The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (HSCA 2012) emphasises the need for strategic relationships between local authorities and other government agencies such as the NHS to ensure more effective delivery of services as well as placing additional health duties on LAs in terms of the scope of services they are responsible for and their obligations to promote integration of services.

Healthcare includes all forms of healthcare treatment provided for individuals whether relating to physical or mental health. Primary statutory responsibility for delivery of such services remains with the NHS (subject to those exceptions for which a local authority

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