Better collaboration between primary and secondary doctors is key to integrated care

GPs should be at the forefront of integrated care in their role as commissioners and they must secure support of their secondary care colleagues from the outset, says a report from the think tank the Nuffield Trust.

The report follows the publication in July of the government white paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS, which called for more integrated healthcare systems to ensure that health and social care organisations work more closely together to improve patient care and the patient experience (BMJ 2010;341:c3796, doi:10.1136/bmj.c3796).

Chris Ham, coauthor of the report and chief executive of the King’s Fund, told the BMJ that commissioners need to be fully informed by the best evidence and experience. Involving secondary care clinicians in their decision making would provide this level of expertise.

“When you put the argument to them [GPs and doctors in secondary care] on why care …