Can GPs coordinate “whole person care”?

Abstract

Purpose

As the notion of “integrated care” has received ever greater policy traction, so the idea that a named individual should take responsibility for coordinating the various elements of care for service users has also gained ground. The purpose of this paper is to look at the proposal to hand this role to GPs, examine the policy expectations and explore some of the implementation dilemmas.

Design/methodology/approach

Review of policy documents and relevant literature.

Findings

That the role of “care coordinator” has rarely succeeded in the past and that there are specific difficulties in expecting GPs to take on the task.

Research limitations/implications

Review of existing literature linked to emergent policy – no original research.

Originality/value

This is a new application of an enduring policy concept. Currently the literature is thin.

Citation

Hudson, B. (2015), "Can GPs coordinate “whole person care”?", Journal of Integrated Care, Vol. 23 No. 1, pp. 10-16. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICA-11-2014-0038