How can we define social care and what are the levels of true integration in integrated care? A narrative review

Purpose Integrated health and social care initiatives are increasing and health and social care systems are aiming to improve health and social outcomes in disadvantaged groups. There is a global dialogue surrounding improving services by shifting to an integrated health and social care approach. There is consensus of what is "health care "; however, the "social care " definition remains less explored. The authors describe the state of "social care " within the current integrated care literature and identify the depth of integration in current health and social care initiatives.Design/methodology/approach A narrative literature review, searching Medline, PsychINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus and Cochrane databases and grey literature (from 2016 to 2021), employing a search strategy, was conducted.Findings In total. 276 studies were eligible for full-text review, and 33 studies were included and categorised in types: "social care as community outreach dialogues ", "social care as addressing an ageing population ", "social care as targeting multimorbidity and corresponding social risks factors " and "social care as initiatives addressing the fragmentation of services ". Most initiatives were implemented in the United Kingdom. In total, 21 studies reported expanding integrated governance and partnerships; 27 studies reported having health and social care staff with clear integrated governance; 17 had dedicated funding and 11 used data-sharing and the integration of systems' records.Originality/value The authors' demonstrate that social care approaches are expanding beyond the elderly, and these models have been used to respond to multimorbidity [including coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)], targeting priority groups and individuals with complex presentations.