The importance of multimorbidity in explaining utilisation and costs across health and social care settings : evidence from South Somerset’s Symphony Project

Since the inception of the NHS, an ever-present challenge has been to improve integration of care within the health care system and with social care. Many people have complex and ongoing care needs and require support from multiple agencies and various professionals. But care is often fragmented and uncoordinated, with no one agency taking overall responsibility, so it is often left to individuals and their families to negotiate the system as best they can. South Somerset’s Symphony is designed to establish greater collaboration between primary, community, acute and social care, particularly for people with complex conditions.