Abstract
Integration between public services has become a much debated topic in Wales. Over the last decade, government has consistently urged public sector professionals to work together to achieve better outcomes for service users. Integration between services is one way of accomplishing improved service quality. However, there is much confusion about what integration means and how it can be brought about.
The aim of this document is to summarise the existing conceptual literature on service integration and to outline lessons from research for professional practice. This document is not the result of a systematic review. It presents information that has been collected through an opportunistic analysis of existing research in this area. The main focus of this document is on people with complex needs. However many of the lessons advanced in the literature are applicable to other user and patient groups as well.
The document will briefly set out the conceptual parameters (1) of service integration and then list lessons for professional practice in two sections: organisational practice (2a) and service outcomes (2b). The document concludes with a summary of relevant studies on integration.
Original language | English |
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Place of Publication | Cardiff |
Publisher | Social Services Improvement Agency |
Number of pages | 14 |
Publication status | Published - 2012 |