The Integration of Health and Social Care in the UK

Closer integration in health and social care services, with the aim of ending the historic divide between the NHS and social services has been the goal of successive governments for decades. The rationale has been widely accepted, service improvement, a holistic approach, better use of resources and meeting the needs arising from future demographic change- and various methods of integration have been tried and tested, ranging from joint working to full structural integration.
This timely and important new text provides a systematic assessment of recent policy developments across the UK relating to health and social care services and introduces the different models of integration currently in operation.