s 13N Duty as to promoting integration
(1) NHS England must exercise its functions with a view to securing that health services are provided in an integrated way where it considers that this would— (a) improve the quality of those services (including the outcomes that are achieved from their provision), (b) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access those services, or (c) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of those services. (2) NHS England must exercise its functions with a view to securing that the provision of health services is integrated with the provision of health-related services or social care services where it considers that this would— (a) improve the quality of the health services (including the outcomes that are achieved from the provision of those services), (b) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to their ability to access those services, or (c) reduce inequalities between persons with respect to the outcomes achieved for them by the provision of those services. (2A) Subsections (1) and (2) do not apply in relation to the exercise of NHS England’s education and training functions. (3) NHS England must encourage integrated care boards to enter into arrangements with local authorities in pursuance of regulations under section 75 where it considers that this would secure— (a) that health services are provided in an integrated way and that this would have any of the effects mentioned in subsection (1)(a) to (c), or (b) that the provision of health services is integrated with the provision of health-related services or social care services and that this would have any of the effects mentioned in subsection (2)(a) to (c). (4) In this section— “ 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 or for the purposes of the Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 ). (5) For the purposes of this section, the provision of housing accommodation is a health-related service.