Implementing asset-based integrated care: A tale of two localities

Background: To date, few studies have examined the implementation of asset-based integrated care in the UK. This paper aims to address this gap in knowledge through examining the implementation of one model of asset-based integrated care, Local Area Coordination (LAC), within two localities in England.

Methods: This paper draws upon data collected from two local authorities (site A and site B), which had both implemented LAC. Using a case study approach, qualitative data was collected from interviews with relevant stakeholders both internal and external to the local authorities. Data was analysed thematically.

Results: The findings demonstrate the marked differences between the two sites’ approaches to LAC, especially in relation to: the implementation process; impact; and their collaboration with other agencies and communities.

Discussion: The evidence presented in this paper demonstrates that the implementation of LAC, as with most complex service innovations, is dependent on the interplay of organisational and people-based components. In particular, successful implementation depends on maintaining a common vision of what an intervention will achieve and how it will work in practice, continual engagement with the political and organisational leaders of influence, positively addressing the anxieties of existing services and professions, and working with community groups.