Skilled delivery partners – people who have knowledge and experience in the principles, policy and partnerships and practicalities of service delivery – will be pivotal to leading integrated health and social care services, writes Adam Fineberg

There’s a lot of potential for working with a range of providers of local public services to enable them to more successfully address people’s needs, not just those of their respective organisations. Many of us have personally experienced the system of patients and receivers of care being passed from pillar to post by professionals restricted by organisational boundaries from providing person-centred care. Leadership in these organisations must support the delivery of integrated care and joined-up services more generally.

What is required is a process of facilitation of delivery partners in an area led by those who have experience in working to service recipient’s needs, not just those of respective organisations. Otherwise, there will never be even a close fit between organisational and people’s needs. Different providers are delivering services to the same public and have to collectively re-orientate their services accordingly.