UK health and social care are increasingly being asked to work together across traditional agency boundaries. Although this sounds easy in theory, doing it in practice is complicated and difficult. In many cases, moreover, current training programmes, research and textbooks are even more divided than front-line services, and practitioners and managers are often being given the task of making partnerships work without the necessary support.

Against this background, the second edition of this bestselling book provides a concise 'warts and all' introduction to partnership and integration, summarising updated references to current policy and research, setting out useful frameworks and approaches, and helping policy makers and practitioners to work more effectively together, with greater emphasis on ‘integrated care’. Written by the leading authors in the field and fully updated since the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the book is also fully evidence- and research-based, while still being accessible and applicable to everyday practice. Aimed at students, practitioners, managers and policy makers in health and social care, and including new reflective exercises and boxed examples, this is still the one book that everyone in the field should read.

"This book provides a practical and concise introduction to the literature on partnership working in health and social care for students, practitioners, policy makers and managers.

...provides the reader with quick and easy access to a breadth of literature." International Journal of Integrated Care

Jon Glasby is Professor of Health and Social Care and Director of the Health Services Management Centre at the University of Birmingham. A qualified social worker by background, he is Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Integrated Care and an NHS Non-Executive Director at Birmingham Children’s Hospital.

Helen Dickinson is Associate Professor of Public Governance at the University of Melbourne. She is co-editor of the Journal of Health, Organization and Management and Australian Journal of Public Administration and has worked with government, community organisations and private organisations in Australia, the UK, New Zealand and Europe.