Making a reality of social and health care integration: lessons from the Italian peninsula

1 It is often maintained that integrated care is the only approach that can produce good health care whilst simultaneously improving a system’s accountability to social care needs. In this sense, integrated care defines a context in which ‘caring’ means ‘taking care’—in other words, the process whereby members of the public are provided with complete assistance involving an integrated path amid primary, specialist, hospital and social assistance. In particular, the degree of integration between health and social care is a crucial factor that influences the effectiveness of a person’s ability to navigate the complex web of care they need and overcome the fragmentation and inefficiency of social-health systems.