Ms Angela Locke-Reilly:

It is about getting rid of silos and having integrated care. Integrated care is the key message that always comes through. It is about working together. There are examples of very good collaborative practices. I spoke about doing research into the local steering groups for housing last year. Those that worked did so very well. They had great buy-in and they met regularly. They included many people in senior positions from approved housing bodies, disability service providers, the Housing Agency and local authorities. Importantly, those that seemed to work very well were those that had great representation of disabled people on the boards. It seemed that great effort and work was being put in.

You could see how that correlates with the numbers. Things seem to be going better in their areas than in any of the other areas. When they worked they worked really well. There are examples out there of really good collaboration going on but it is not across the board and is inconsistent.