Integration of health and social care is the ‘only game in town’ now, but progress towards achieving tangible goals will depend on local enthusiasm, agreeing on strategic objectives and how well local authority and NHS managers can work together, say council social service leaders.

At a round table discussion held at the National Children and Adult Services conference in Bournemouth, hosted by The MJ and partners BT, key social services directors agreed that there was now a real consensus that integration was the direction of travel for most local authorities, but that progress was bound to be more rapid in some areas than others.