TY  - JOUR
AB  - 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.
VL  - 21
IS  - 3
SN  - 0952-6862
DO  - 10.1108/09526860810868201
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/09526860810868201
AU  - Parnaby John
AU  - Towill Denis R.
ED  - Keith Hurst
PY  - 2008
Y1  - 2008/01/01
TI  - Seamless healthcare delivery systems
T2  - International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 249
EP  - 273
Y2  - 2024/09/21
ER  -