Understanding Integrated Care

Introduction Integrated care is a concept that is now commonly accepted across the world yet there remains a persistent and enduring ‘confusion of languages’ when it comes to understanding it 1. This perspective paper seeks to bring a degree of clarity to the meaning of integrated care. It argues that integrated care cannot be narrowly defined, but should be seen as an overarching term for a broad and multi-component set of ideas and principles that seek to better co-ordinate care around people’s needs.