The Better Care Fund sits at the centre of the government’s ambition to more effectively join up health and social care. But as pressures grow on urgent and emergency care and hospital discharge, as the NHS undergoes significant restructuring, and as the challenges of an ageing population loom large, the ability of the Fund to deliver on this ambition is coming under closer scrutiny.
In October 2025, Helen Maguire MP, Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Primary Care and Cancer, convened a Parliamentary roundtable with senior leaders from Integrated Care Boards, local authorities, and independent providers across the South East of England, for a discussion focused on how the BCF can better deliver on its founding promise - to drive genuine integration and improve outcomes for people and communities.
Participants representing South London, Surrey, and Sussex praised the Fund’s intent and the collaborative spirit it fosters. Yet there was a shared view that its potential is being constrained - by bureaucracy, short-term planning cycles, counter-intuitive metrics and frequent shifts in national guidance. The group explored whether the BCF, as currently structured, still provides the flexibility, clarity, and long-term vision needed to enable real transformation.
While participants expressed frustration at the challenges that BCF delivery faces, there was a shared conviction that its founding purpose - to enable genuine integration between health and social care - remains vital. The discussion pointed to a clear appetite for reform: longer- term planning, more meaningful metrics, and greater openness to local flexibility and innovation.
