An integral part of the NHS Long-term plan, there has been a gradual shift to organising healthcare around a place or geographically defined population in order to better manage common resources. This means that collaborative working practices are already in place. Staff in new integrated multi-disciplinary teams are being drawn from health, social care and the wider community, including the police and housing departments, to help the NHS deliver services in a co-ordinated and joined up way.
Engaging with integrated teams brings specific challenges due to the range of stakeholders involved and the complexity of decision-making processes in the NHS.
In this conversation our experts Roger Tomlins and Oli Hudson look at the changes this is bringing, the rationale behind it, and benefits it can bring to patients based on the needs within a local population.