Billie Kell and Fiona Hawkins demonstrate the benefits of a collaborative approach to one child’s journey through the healthcare system

Collaboration, partnership and interagency working are terms frequently employed to highlight the need for providers of services and families to work together to meet the needs of the individual child. Lack of teamwork and communication, rather than individual error or incompetence, often results in poor services (Hall and Elliman 2004). Over the last decade there has been a shift from national health services being organised around the needs of professionals to being organised around those of the individual patient/client (DH 2003). Government policy is now directed at providers and service users working effectively together.