ABSTRACT
Why should professionals and organisations work together? The answer surely has to lie in the added value that is given by this approach. Value can be interpreted economically but can also relate to the quality of life and enhancing communities. In this chapter, users' and carers' perspectives are explored, noting that while many join professional calls for increased cooperation, it is users and carers who identify some of the risks of increased integration or co-ordination. Before embarking on interprofessional activities, practitioners need to be mindful that this can be construed as a way of increasing their power. Users and carers may wish, at times, for greater abilities to control their own care and practitioners may need to accept that their models of interprofessional working do not always meet the needs or priorities of individuals. The main challenge of interprofessional care in the new century will be drawing on the perspectives of users and carers to say what works for them.
