Scene setter: the importance of taking a systems approach to person centred care

Abstract

Since the end of the second world war healthcare has changed greatly. Advances in treatment mean that the average life expectancy in the UK, for example, has grown by 20 years. But this has come at a cost. Health systems are significantly more complex, with care becoming ever more subspecialised. Increasing numbers of health and social care professionals are involved in each patient’s journey through the system—reflecting the changing needs of populations that are ageing and living longer with comorbid chronic conditions. Within this complexity the service user risks getting lost as different parts of the health and social care system struggle to coordinate with each other. Too often services are delivered in ways that fit with abstract policy …