Designing an Integrated Health Care System — What are the Key Features? Available to Purchase

This paper results from experience gained while developing and delivering the South Devon Integrated Care Network (ICN) and from more recent experience as an Integrated Care Pilot (ICP) organisation. It demonstrates that by taking an integrated approach a hospital can develop and prosper, and that it is possible to reduce the use of beds and manage care in the community within the levels of funding currently available. The paper focuses on integration at organisation level and proposes a model of key system drivers and controls necessary to manage an integrated health and social care system. The next level of integration is at individual customer level, and the paper discusses the enablers for this.