5. Integrating Health and Social Care Systems

It has long been recognized that social issues have a strong bearing on people’s health and well-being. While medical treatments are essential to address underlying infections and physical malfunctioning, these are insufficient by themselves to maintain and promote the health of a population. Wider social contexts such as poverty, housing, hygiene, employment, and education play a fundamental role in the incidence of disease. These must be considered and connected issues addressed to achieve better health for all. Vaccines can provide important immunity that will help to eradicate a disease, but it is only by societal coordination and development of associated social norms that vaccines are successfully introduced. Health interventions may be able to prolong the life of people with a long-term health condition, but social issues enable life to be of better quality—i.e., a life worth living—and acute care can only successfully operate if people are supported postcrisis to return or access support in the community. In relation to mental health, social networks and access to employment are often the most influential in achieving better well-being.