There is an increasing awareness that policies do not succeed or fail on their own merits. Within complex messy systems, it is unclear how best to ensure effective policy design and implementation. However, rather than just let policies drift into full or even partial failure, governments are now beginning to take an interest in ways in which the policy processespecially the implementation phasecan be strengthened and supported. This article contributes to the debate in three ways: by unpicking the key factors behind policy failure; by exploring different approaches to policy support; and by identifying key messages for policy practitioners.

Partnership working is now a central plank of public policy in the UK, especially in the field of health and social care. However, much of the policy thrust has been at the level of interorganisational working rather than at the level of interprofessional partnerships. The empirical and theoretical literature is largely sceptical about the feasibility of effective joint working between separate but related professionals--the 'pessimistic tradition'. Based upon an empirical study of general practitioners, community nurses and social workers in northern England, this article challenges such a tradition and proposes an 'optimistic hypothesis' for further investigation.

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