The creation of health and wellbeing boards is one aspect of the NHS reforms that enjoys overwhelming support. The boards offer new and exciting opportunities to join up local services, create new partnerships with GPs, and deliver greater democratic accountability.
Our view is that the creation of health and wellbeing boards will not automatically remove many of the barriers to effective joined-up care. For boards to succeed, a stronger national framework for integrated care is needed with a single outcomes framework to promote joint accountability.