Integrated care

While autonomy refers to the one end of a continuum with least co-operation, integration (the combination of parts into a working whole by overlapping services) refers to the end with most co-operation and co-ordination (the relation of parts) to a point in between.

[3] The NHS Long Term Plan, and many other documents advocating integration, claim that it will produce reductions in costs or emergency admissions to hospital but there is no convincing evidence to support this.

According to Shivam Shah collaborative care is a form of systematic team-based care involving: There are organizations in many countries promoting these ideas such as the American Collaborative Family Healthcare Association, a multi-guild member association based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, which supports healthcare professionals in integrating physical and behavioral health.

It focuses on re-framing the relationship between a person with long-term health conditions and the professionals supporting them.

The mix of staff for the various roles is maintained to enable a profitable integration in caring.