Factors enabling implementation of integrated health and social care: a systematic review

In spite of ongoing UK Government recommendations for integrated health and social care, the implementation has been slow. While there are pockets of integration happening across England, many services remain isolated and fragmented.

This review aims to critically review existing evidence to identify if there are any factors enabling successful implementation of integrated health and social care for people with long-term conditions in the community.

A review was conducted following the principles of a systematic review. Relevant data was extracted from the identified papers and the papers were quality appraised.

A total of seven studies were included in the review. Data analysis and synthesis identified a number of themes in relation to enablers of integrated care, including co-location of teams, communication, integrated organisations, management and leadership, capacity and resources, and information technology.

There is a limited amount of evidence regarding integrated health and social care teams. Although there are some consistencies within the findings, further research is needed to enhance the validity of the body of evidence available.