Seamless healthcare delivery systems

Purpose – 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. Design/methodology/approach – This paper answers these questions experientially via “Insider Action Research” projects plus careful critique of published case studies. Findings – Recurring themes for effective improvement of healthcare delivery organisations emerge in the paper, as do identification of the inevitable barriers to change. Originality/value – The paper takes stock of NHS service developments in a broader theoretical light