Seamless healthcare delivery systems.
OBJECTIVE
Taking the physician sourced observation that "wasting time is always more expensive than saving it" leads naturally to the conclusion that effective and efficient patient-centred healthcare delivery systems are highly desirable targets for the National Health Service (NHS) and similar providers. But has "joined up healthcare" even been achieved, and if so, how? What procedures must be in place to maximise the chances of its occurrence? This paper aims to investigate these issues.


METHODS
This paper answers these questions experientially via "Insider Action Research" projects plus careful critique of published case studies.


RESULTS
Recurring themes for effective improvement of healthcare delivery organisations emerge in the paper, as do identification of the inevitable barriers to change.


CONCLUSIONS
The paper takes stock of NHS service developments in a broader theoretical light.
Parnaby
John
J
BPSE Ltd and Aston Life Sciences Academy, Aston University, Birmingham, UK. drparnaby@aol.com
Towill
Denis R
DR
D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008329:Managed Care Programs / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009874:Operations Research; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013222:State Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D018511:Systems Integration; D006113:United Kingdom