Friday 11 May 2012

What does integrated care mean?

The Kings Fund have been asking today on Twitter what 'integrated care' means for patients, carers, doctors and managers.


See the other responses here.

For me, integrated care is about doctors taking responsibility for me as a whole patient who has to live in the 6 months between appointments, and is concerned with the wider picture of my emotional health and lifestyle, not just the disease of which they are an expert in! For example, as a patient with 5 conditions I long for one doctor who will take into account all of them and the change in my life because of them, and bear it all in mind when considering the next steps. It would mean having a solution when admitted to hospital, instead of being discharged by the general acute staff once the issue I was admitted with in under control, with the underlying causes still un-addressed.

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