Integrated team working: a literature review

INTRODUCTION: This literature review was conducted to provide a background understanding of the literature around integrated health and social care prior to a research project evaluating two integrated health and social care teams in England, UK. METHODS: A systematic literature search of relevant databases was employed to identify all articles relating to integrated health and social care teams produced in the last 10 years in the UK. RESULTS: Sixteen articles were found and reviewed; all were reviewed by the first reviewer and half by the second reviewer. DISCUSSION: Key themes identified were: drivers, barriers and benefits of integrated working; staff development; and meeting the needs of service users. CONCLUSION: Recommendations for integrated working include; a focus on the management of integrated teams; a need to invest in resources for the successful integration of teams; a need for the development of clear standards for monitoring the success and failure of integrated teams; and the need for further empirical evidence of the processes used by integrated teams. These findings will be valuable for practitioners who are establishing services or want to improve integrated care in their own practice.