Accountable care: policy fad or step forward on the journey towards integrated care?

Accountable care: policy fad or step forward on the journey towards integrated care? Accountable care is under discussion almost everywhere in the NHS. Groups of NHS providers (sometimes with the local commissioner) are exploring how they can work more closely together to take on the responsibility for the health and care of a given population within a given budget. Currently, we are seeing emerging accountable care arrangements adopting various forms according to local needs and preferences: in some areas the focus is on creating a single organisation; in others, organisations are keen to use the words ‘system’ or ‘partnership’ – to reinforce the notion of working together. The King's Fund