Healthcare systems around the world have been responding to the demand for better integrated models of service delivery. However, there is a need for further clarity regarding the effects of these new models of integration, and exploration regarding whether models introduced in other care systems may achieve similar outcomes in a UK national health service context. The study aimed to carry out a systematic review of the effects of integration or co-ordination between healthcare services, or between health and social care on service delivery outcomes including effectiveness, efficiency and quality of care. Electronic databases including MEDLINE; Embase; PsycINFO; CINAHL; Science and Social Science Citation Indices; and the Cochrane Library were searched for relevant literature published between 2006 to March 2017. Online sources were searched for UK grey literature, and citation searching, and manual reference list screening were also carried out. Quantitative primary studies and systematic reviews, reporting actual or perceived effects on service delivery following the introduction of models of integration or co-ordination, in healthcare or health and social care settings in developed countries were eligible for inclusion. Strength of evidence for each outcome reported was analysed and synthesised using a four point comparative rating system of stronger, weaker, inconsistent or limited evidence. One hundred sixty seven studies were eligible for inclusion. Analysis indicated evidence of perceived improved quality of care, evidence of increased patient satisfaction, and evidence of improved access to care. Evidence was rated as either inconsistent or limited regarding all other outcomes reported, including system-wide impacts on primary care, secondary care, and health care costs. There were limited differences between outcomes reported by UK and international studies, and overall the literature had a limited consideration of effects on service users. Models of integrated care may enhance patient satisfaction, increase perceived quality of care, and enable access to services, although the evidence for other outcomes including service costs remains unclear. Indications of improved access may have important implications for services struggling to cope with increasing demand. Prospero registration number: 42016037725
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The effects of integrated care: a systematic review of UK and international evidence

Nurse-led case management programmes have become increasingly popular over the last 15 years. Countries such as the USA, Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands have long running case management programmes in place for frail elderly people. The Department of Health in England has recently introduced a 'community matron' role to provide case management to patients with highly complex long-term conditions; a group that is predominantly comprised of elderly people. Department of Health policy documents do not define the day-to-day role of community matrons but instead describe the objectives and principles of case management for long-term conditions. The aim of this qualitative study was to describe case management from the perspective of patients and carers in order to develop a clearer understanding of how the model is being delivered for patients with long-term conditions. In-depth interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 72 patients and 52 carers who had experience of case management. Five categories of case management tasks emerged from the data: clinical care, co-ordination of care, education, advocacy and psychosocial support. Psychosocial support was emphasised by both patients and carers, and was viewed as equally important to clinical care. Patient and carer perceptions of case management appear to contrast with descriptions contained in Department of Health guidance, suggesting an 'implementation surplus' in relation to the policy. This particularly appears to be the case for psychosocial support activities, which are not described in official policy documents. The provision of significant psychosocial support by community matrons also appears to differentiate the model from most other case management programmes for frail elderly people described in the literature. The findings emphasise the importance of seeking patient and carer input when designing new case management programmes.

Patient and carer perceptions of case management for long-term conditions.

Background Anticipatory care for older patients who are frail involves both case identification and proactive intervention to reduce hospitalisation. Aim To identify a population who were at risk of admission to hospital and to provide an anticipatory care plan (ACP) for them and to ascertain whether using primary and secondary care data to identify this population and then applying an ACP can help to reduce hospital admission rates. Design and setting Cohort study of a service intervention in a general practice and a primary care team in Scotland. Method The ACP sets out patients’ wishes in the event of a sudden deterioration in health. If admitted, a proactive approach was taken to transfer and discharge patients into the community. Cohorts were selected using the Nairn Case Finder, which matched patients in two practices for age, sex, multiple morbidity indexes, and secondary care outpatient and inpatient activity; 96 patients in each practice were studied for admission rate, occupied bed days and survival. Results Survivors from the ACP cohort (n = 80) had 510 fewer days in hospital than in the 12 months pre-intervention: a significant reduction of 52.0% (P = 0.020). There were 37 fewer admissions of the survivors from that cohort post-intervention than in the preceding 12 months, with a significant reduction of 42.5% (P = 0.002). Mortality rates in the two cohorts were similar, but the number of patients who died in hospital and the hospital bed days used in the last 3 months of life were significantly lower for the decedents with an ACP than for the controls who had died (P = 0.007 and P = 0.045 respectively). Conclusion This approach produced statistically significant reductions in unplanned hospitalisation for a cohort of patients with multiple morbidities. It demonstrates the potential for providing better care for patients as well as better value for health and social care services. It is of particular benefit in managing end-of-life care.

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Anticipatory care planning and integration: a primary care pilot study aimed at reducing unplanned hospitalisation

Objective. To develop and evaluate an evidence-based tool for predicting the likelihood of emergency admission to hospital of older people aged 75 years and over in the UK. Methods. Prospective cohort study of older people registered with 17 general practices within Halton Primary Care Trust in the north-west of England. A questionnaire with 20 items was sent to older people aged 75 years. Items for inclusion in the questionnaire were selected from information gleaned from published literature and a pilot study. The primary outcome measurement was an emergency admission to hospital within 12 months of completing the questionnaire. A logistic regression analysis was carried out to identify those items which predicted emergency admission to hospital. A scoring system was devised to identify those at low, moderate, high and very high risk of admission, using the items identified in the predictive modelling process. Results. In total, 83% (3032) returned the questionnaire. A simple, six-item tool was developed and validated—the Emergency Admission Risk Likelihood Index (EARLI). The items included in the tool are as follows: do you have heart problems? [odds ratio (OR) 1.40, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.15–1.72]; do you have leg ulcers? (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.04–2.04); can you go out of the house without help? (OR 0.60, 95% CI 0.47–0.75); do you have problems with your memory and get confused? (OR 1.46, 95% CI 1.19–1.81); have you been admitted to hospital as an emergency in the last 12 months? (OR 2.16, CI 1.72–2.72); and would you say the general state of your health is good? (OR 0.66, 95% CI 0.53–0.82). The tool had high negative predictive value (>79%) and identified over 50% of those at high or very high risk of emergency admission. A very high score (>20) identified 6% of older people, 55% of whom had an emergency admission in the following 12 months. A low score (10) identified 74% of the older population of whom 17% were admitted. Conclusions. In this study, we have developed and validated a simple-to-apply tool for identifying older people in the UK who are at risk of having an emergency admission within the following 12 months. EARLI can be used as a simple triage-screening tool to help identify the most vulnerable older people, either to target interventions and support to reduce demand on hospital services or for inclusion in testing the effectiveness of different preventive interventions.

Predicting the likelihood of emergency admission to hospital of older people: development and validation of the Emergency Admission Risk Likelihood Index (EARLI)

This paper reviews the evidence base for vertical integration in health care. We describe its impact on organisational structures, on how services are provided, and on such outcomes as cost, clinical outcomes and patient experience. We also outline conditions that support successful integration.

The Evidence Base for Vertical Integration in Health Care

This article presents and reviews the evidence from a pilot project in the North of England in which a social worker was based in a surgery and worked proactively with a district nurse to introduce an integrated case management approach for patients in the practice. Decision‐making was noticeably simplified and speeded up, with most assessments completed in a single day. The authors recommend that PCTs should consider the benefits of social care input to case management, especially when planning new services and new roles such as that of community matron.

The Castlefields Integrated Care Model: The Evidence Summarised

This article presents and reviews the evidence from a pilot project in the North of England in which a social worker was based in a surgery and worked proactively with a district nurse to introduce an integrated case management approach for patients in the practice. Decision-making was noticeably simplified and speeded up, with most assessments completed in a single day. The authors recommend that PCTs should consider the benefits of social care input to case management, especially when planning new services and new roles such as that of community matron.

Julia Miller

Papers

The Castlefields Integrated Care Model: The Evidence Summarised

The Castlefields Integrated Care Model: The Evidence