Health and Social Care Act 2012

195 Duty to encourage integrated working

(1) A Health and Wellbeing Board must, for the purpose of advancing the health and wellbeing of the people in its area, encourage persons who arrange for the provision of any health or social care services in that area to work in an integrated manner.

(2) A Health and Wellbeing Board must, in particular, provide such advice, assistance or other support as it thinks appropriate for the purpose of encouraging the making of arrangements under section 75 of the National Health Service Act 2006 in connection with the provision of such services.

(3) A Health and Wellbeing Board may encourage persons who arrange for the provision of any health-related services in its area to work closely with the Health and Wellbeing Board.

(4) A Health and Wellbeing Board may encourage persons who arrange for the provision of any health or social care services in its area and persons who arrange for the provision of any health-related services in its area to work closely together.

(5) Any reference in this section to the area of a Health and Wellbeing Board is a reference to the area of the local authority that established it.

(6) In this section—

• “the health service” has the same meaning as in the National Health Service Act 2006;

• “health services” means services that are provided as part of the health service in England;

• “health-related services” means services that may have an effect on the health of individuals but are not health services or social care services;

• “social care services” means services that are provided in pursuance of the social services functions of local authorities (within the meaning of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970).