Table 4 Verbatim quotes supporting Doing Integration Relationships

1

I think it’s about following through on what you say you’re going to do. Holding each other accountable. Chipping in and helping and [finding] the solutions. Work[ing] together towards common goals. And it’s following through on that. It’s been a very successful collaboration; that’s because people are committed, and they’re doing what they said they’re going to do.

2

[You see follow through when] you see that your input is included in messaging and decision making. And things happen…that actually work to meet your needs. The minister being willing to look at virtual [billing] codes and making changes there in the absence of an agreement is also [an example].

3

[In the Autumn thaw period] the engagement was different, so the result was different. We were able to raise things like, “[Sourcing] Personal Protective Equipment [in PC] is going to be a problem.” [And the MoH] said, “Right, we’ll take that away, we’ll see what we can do.”

4

It doesn’t mean [the MoH always] acts on [your input], but there seems to be a more open discussion.

5

I would say you continue to grind [away at the work] in any case, but during the thaw period you probably can make more progress. During the freeze period, you’re not going to stop working and stop trying. [You need to] show resilience and [try] to forge forward.

6

[During the freeze] I think [the relationship] publicly looks dormant. I don’t think it is [you have to keep working at it]. And then you can set it aside, that ugly relationship, [when the thaw comes.]

7

We’ve fought and we struggled so long, so hard, to be recognized, to be valued. There was probably not a better opportunity for [PC] to show our value than with [COVID] and [prove] our impact on the healthcare system. That’s the motivator that continued to drive us [in the freeze period].

8

I think if there’s one hero character to all of this: it’s [participant 113 and how they] kept selling [PC to the MoH]

9

When Omicron came [in the autumn and relations thawed], we took the same terms of reference with exactly the same recommendations that we made [in the spring during the freeze]. And I showed [them] to the new ADM and I said, “You want the solution? We had the solution four months ago. Here’s your solution.“ And with him reading through that, I think something sparked because the whole attitude of [the MoH] changed. So I actually think that [was the moment the MoH started to] trust [us].