The Better Care Fund

The Better Care Fund (BCF) programme supports local systems to successfully deliver the integration of health and social care in a way that supports person-centred care, sustainability and better outcomes for people and carers.

It represents a unique collaboration between:

• The Department of Health and Social Care
• Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• NHS England
• The Local Government Association

The four partners work closely together to help local areas plan and implement integrated health and social care services across England, in line with the vision outlined in the NHS Long Term Plan. Locally, the programme spans both the NHS and local government to join up health and care services, so that people can manage their own health and wellbeing and live independently in their communities for as long as possible.

Launched in 2015, the programme established pooled budgets between the NHS and local authorities, aiming to reduce the barriers often created by separate funding streams. The pooled budget is a combination of contributions from the following areas:

• minimum allocation from integrated care systems (ICSs)
• disabled facilities grant – local authority grant
• social care funding (improved BCF) – local authority grant
• winter pressures grant funding £240 million – local authority grant.

The Better Care Fund team and objectives

The BCF team, formerly known as the Better Care Support team, was set up in 2013 to support local systems in successfully delivering their BCF plans and ultimately commissioning person-centred health and social care services which achieve improved patient and service user experiences and outcomes.

Our objectives are to:

1. Support the delivery of BCF plans: ensure effective implementation of agreed BCF plans via offering local systems/areas a programme of support.
2. Capture and disseminate practice: accelerate the pace of effective integrations to deliver person centred care and better outcomes.
3. Assure plans: support places to plan and assure their BCF plans.
4. Develop systems, processes and reporting: capture and share insight and intelligence on the implementation of plans and progress of places towards the BCF’s wider ambition.
5. Inform and influence: Develop and agree policy framework and BCF requirements for current and future BCF years, and identify solutions to integration barriers.

Regional support – the better care managers

Better care managers (BCMs) sit within each of the seven NHS regions to provide support to local areas, work with stakeholders and partners as well as gathering learning and coordinating support. Regions can commission bespoke packages of support to respond to regionally and locally identified needs, generate shared solutions at a regional level and tailor national resources and products to regional needs.

Regions, names and contact details are outlined below. A more detailed list of areas managed by the BCMs is also available.