The Integrated Health and Social Care Conference examines the challenges of the care system in Catalonia
Professionals, institutional leaders, and representatives from the local, healthcare, and social sectors share experiences and reflections on the future of integrated care.
The Faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona hosted the Integrated Health and Social Care (AISS) Conference on 17 June under the theme "Innovating and transforming models of care for people". Organised as part of the Master's in Integrated Management of Primary Care, Social Care, Hospital and Community Services (GESAPH) at the University of Barcelona Institute for Lifelong Learning (IL3-UB), the conference brought together professionals, institutional leaders and representatives from health and social care organisations to reflect on the evolution of care models and the challenges facing Catalonia in the development of integrated care.
A transformation that goes beyond coordinating services
The event was opened by Mr Guillem Iñiguez, Director General of IL3-UB, who stressed that integrated care is about far more than simply sharing resources across systems. Rather, it involves creating new care pathways that are more accessible and better tailored to people's needs. In this regard, he emphasised that the new paradigm requires a fundamental rethink of how services are organised, the role of local authorities, and models of care across communities.
Ms Ariadna Mas i Casals, Deputy Director General for Health Planning at the Department of Health of the Government of Catalonia, highlighted the significance of the conference at a particularly important moment for the Catalan health system. She noted that the planned development of integrated care over the coming years must be built on the knowledge and experience gained across local areas.
Dr Josep Maria Grego, Director of the GESAPH Master's programme, underlined Catalonia's leading position in the field of integrated care and argued for the importance of creating forums for discussion that bring together diverse perspectives on the future of the model.
The major challenges facing the health system and the new territorial model
During her presentation, Ms Mas i Casals outlined the main challenges facing Catalonia's health system, highlighting population growth and ageing, health inequalities, workforce shortages, the impact of climate change, technological transformation, and the long-term sustainability of the system.
Against this backdrop, she presented the key principles of Catalonia's new Health Plan, due to be launched in the coming months, as the strategic framework that will guide the country's health policies. The head of Health Planning stressed that the document focuses on the social determinants of health and the need to adopt a cross-sectoral approach to health management, since many of the factors that influence people's health lie beyond the healthcare system itself and are linked to aspects such as education, housing, economic circumstances, and the wider social and community environment.
She also outlined the new territorial organisation of the health system, which will be structured around thirty health areas designed to strengthen coordination between services, improve accessibility, and deliver care that is more local, responsive and effective. She pointed out that the main aim is to move towards integrated, people-centred care, capable of responding to current challenges through local delivery, coordination and community work.
The importance of local innovation and community participation
The conference also featured a talk by Ms Anne Hendry, Director of the International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC) Country Hub in Scotland and an international authority on integrated care. In a recorded presentation, Hendry argued that integration processes are usually more effective when they are developed from the ground up and evolve gradually in response to the specific needs of individual communities.
She also highlighted the value of community and third sector initiatives, as well as the need to involve professionals and citizens in change processes to ensure sustainable transformations adapted to the local reality.
A panel discussion to share experiences from different fields
The second part of the event was dedicated to the panel discussion titled "Different perspectives on integrated care", moderated by Dr Marco Inzitari, Director of the Pere Virgili Health Park.
Dr Josep M. Pomar Reynés, Director-General of the Catalan Health Institute (ICS), highlighted that Catalonia is experiencing a moment of acceleration of projects and initiatives linked to integrated care, the result of many years of work and experiences developed across local areas. In this regard, he pointed out that the role of the ICS is to help bring these initiatives to the forefront and consolidate them, making use of accumulated knowledge and the momentum provided by the rollout of new governance and care coordination models.
From a municipal perspective, Ms Salut González Martín, Deputy Mayor of Sant Boi de Llobregat City Council, emphasised the role of local councils as the level of government closest to citizens and pointed out that integrated care represents an opportunity to strengthen shared responsibility between administrations and promote policies that connect health, care and social cohesion. Ms González emphasized that municipalities have a privileged understanding of local needs and can contribute to promoting healthier environments from a collective and community-based approach.
Ms Sara Manjón del Solar, Manager of the Vic Hospital Consortium and the Santa Creu de Vic Hospital Foundation, shared the experience of Osona as a region with a long-standing tradition of network-based collaboration between health and social care services. Ms Manjón explained that, in light of emerging care challenges, they have opted to move away from traditional service structures in order to place citizens’ needs at the centre of decision-making. In this regard, she outlined several territorial coordination initiatives aimed at strengthening continuity of care and adapting resources to the real needs of the population.
Meanwhile, Ms Laura Peracaula Basagaña, Co-Managing Director of Suara Cooperativa, highlighted the role of the third sector as an essential actor in building new integrated care models, both because of its closeness to individuals and its capacity for social innovation. Peracaula highlighted the projects promoted by the organisation to address problems such as unwanted loneliness and underlined the role of the home care manager as a key element in coordinating services, detecting needs and ensuring more integrated and people-centred care.
During the discussion, the participants agreed on the need to build shared governance models that incorporate all stakeholders —the administrations, the health system, social services and the third sector— to respond to the new demographic and social challenges.
A conference aimed at shaping the future of integrated care
The closing remarks were delivered by Dr Josep Maria Grego, who thanked the speakers and attendees for their participation and highlighted the importance of continuing to create spaces for exchange and shared learning. Grego emphasised that training and the creation of collaborative networks will be essential elements in consolidating an integrated care model capable of responding to the present and future challenges of the health and care system in Catalonia.