Integrated care for healthcare providers

Key points about integrated care

  • Integrated care is "an organising principle for care delivery that aims to improve patient care and experience through improved coordination." 
  • Achieving integrated care 'requires that those involved with planning, financing and providing services have a shared vision, employ a combination of processes and mechanisms, and ensure that the patient’s perspective remains a central organising principle throughout.'
  • There is no single model of integrated care that is suited to all contexts, settings and circumstances.
  • More research is needed to develop, evaluate and implement effective approaches to inform decisions about how to develop integrated care. 
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‘Integrated care’ is a term that reflects a concern to improve patient experience and achieve greater efficiency and value from health delivery systems. The aim is to address fragmentation in patient services, and enable better coordinated and more continuous care, frequently for an ageing population which has increasing incidence of chronic disease.'

Video: New strategy – Global people-centred integrated health services, World Health Organisation – Dr Ed Kelley launches WHO Global PCIHS Strategy

(Foundation for Integrated Care, UK, 2015)

Dr Ed Kelley, Director Service Delivery and Safety, WHO launches the WHO global strategy on people-centred and integrated health services interim report at ICIC15 in Edinburgh, March 2015.

Video: Joined-up care: Sam’s story

Why does 'integrated care' matter? And what will it mean for patients? This short animation "aims to bring integrated care to life for anyone involved in improving patient care." This is just one of a number of useful resources on integrated care from the Kings Fund.  

(Integrated Care, Kings Fund, UK, 2013)

Video: Counties Manukau Health System Integration Programme - from a Patient’s Perspective

Watch this video which highlights how programmes in Counties Manukau are moving to become more planned and proactive with care integrated across hospital and community services. 

(Counties Manukau Health, NZ, 2013)

With the overarching theme ‘Co-designing for health and wellbeing with individuals and communities’, the conference will bring together leaders, researchers, clinicians, managers, citizens, patients and caregivers from around the world who are engaged in the design and delivery of integrated health and social care.


See this section(external link) to learn more about the following sessions:

  • Plenary 3 – Care Closer to Home and In Community – Innovation, technology and scale
  • Plenary 4 – Implementing Integrated Care- Top-down Policies and Bottom up Innovation
  • Closing Ceremony

Visit the website(external link) for more details.

Video: Integrated Care in Canterbury - Interview with David Meates, CEO, Canterbury DHB

( The King's Fund, UK, 2013)

Video: Perspectives on integrated care: Northumbria

Derek Thompson, Medical Director, Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, describes the experience of integrating care in Northumberland and North Tyneside.

( The King's Fund, UK, 2013)

Video: Perspectives on integrated care: North East Lincolnshire

Jake Rollin, Strategic Lead, Care and independence, North East Lincolnshire CCG, discusses how the CCG has implemented an integrated structure for health and social care in the area. (Kings Fund)  (4 minutes)

(The King's Fund, UK, 2013)

Integrated care

Counties Manukau integrated care programmes

Learn about some of the integrated care programmes at CMDHB.
South AKL Integrated Care Research Group

Integrated Care Research Group

Based at the South Auckland Clinical Campus at Middlemore Hospital, the team conduct research into integrated care models. "Integrated care recognises that the determinants of health extend beyond the health system. It imposes that patient’s perspective as the organising principle of service delivery. Integrated care enables health and social care provision that is flexible personalised and seamless." 
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International Foundation of Integrated Care (IJIC)

  • Conferences & events
  • Members network
  • Academy
  • Journal (as below)
  • Resources, news, blog
  • Visit website(external link)
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International Journal of Integrated Care (IJIC)

This is an online, open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal that has been publishing original articles in the field of integrated care since 2000.
Integrated care models - WHO

Integrated care models: an overview (WHO)

A recent literature review identified over 175 definitions of integrated care and a multitude of frameworks and models. This document aims to consolidate these insights as well as provide a synthesis of existing integrated care models.
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Report: Acute hospitals & integrated care

Chris Naylor, Hugh Alderwick, Matthew Honeyman, Kings Fund, March 2015

"A core part of the vision in the NHS five year forward view is a fundamentally different role for acute hospitals. Hospitals in England and elsewhere face significant challenges as a result of rising demand and the changing needs of the population, and they will not be able to meet these challenges by continuing to work alone. Instead, acute trust leaders need to embrace a system-wide perspective and work increasingly closely with primary care, community services, social care and others."
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Kings Fund
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Nuffield Trust

Understanding Integrated Care.(external link)
Goodwin N.Int J Integr Care. 2016 Oct 28;16(4):6. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2530. [Full article]

The Building Blocks of Integrated Care.(external link)
Kaehne A.Int J Integr Care. 2016 Oct 28;16(4):5. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2527. 

Great Expectations: The Implementation of Integrated Care and Its Contribution to Improved Outcomes for People with Chronic Conditions.(external link)
Busetto L. Int J Integr Care. 2016 Dec 31;16(4):16. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2555. [Full article](external link)

Co-location as a Driver for Cross-Sectoral Collaboration with General Practitioners as Coordinators: The Case of a Danish Municipal Health Centre.(external link)
Scheele CE, Vrangbæk K.Int J Integr Care. 2016 Dec 5;16(4):15. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2471.

Does Telecare Improve Interorganisational Collaboration?(external link)
Christensen JK.Int J Integr Care. 2016 Nov 24;16(4):14. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2462.

Community Hospitals in selected High Income Countries: A Scoping Review of Approaches and Models.(external link)
Winpenny EM, Corbett J, Miani C, King S, Pitchforth E, Ling T, van Teijlingen E, Nolte E.
Int J Integr Care. 2016 Nov 24;16(4):13. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2463.

If Integration Is the Answer, What Was the Question? What next for English Health and Social Care Partnerships?(external link)
Glasby J.Int J Integr Care. 2016 Oct 28;16(4):11. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2535. 

Crossing the Cultural and Value Divide Between Health and Social Care.(external link)
Miller R.Int J Integr Care. 2016 Oct 28;16(4):10. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2534. 

Developing a Competent Workforce for Integrated Health and Social Care: What Does It Take?(external link)
Stein KV.Int J Integr Care. 2016 Oct 28;16(4):9. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2533. 

Financial Incentives to Stimulate Integration of Care.(external link)
Tsiachristas A.Int J Integr Care. 2016 Oct 28;16(4):8. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2532. 

Creating an Enabling Political Environment for Health and Social Care Integration.(external link)
Hendry A. Int J Integr Care. 2016 Oct 28;16(4):7. doi: 10.5334/ijic.2531. 

For additional references go to Pubmed(external link), International Journal of Integrated Care(external link) and Kings Fund(external link) as starting points.

Credits: Healthify editorial team. Healthify is brought to you by Health Navigator Charitable Trust.

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Read more at: https://healthify.nz/healthcare-providers/i/integrated-care-hcps/
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