ABSTRACT
Health and care services in the United Kingdom are delivered through a range of organisations, each of which operates with a degree of interdependence within a local healthcare economy. Service users want timely and effective services that improve their quality of life, organised in ways that make them easy to use. When these services are delivered by a number of different providers, people find themselves having to go to a series of different organisations and individuals, explaining their needs to each one and giving a range of personal information time after time. The focus of change in public services is on ‘joining up’ services to enable smooth pathways for service users. Barriers to working across agencies, across disciplines and across professions must be overcome. Leadership and team-working are essential in order to design and develop new service configurations and new ways of working.
