Table 5 Verbatim quotes supporting Doing Integration Communication

1

[In the autumn there was] a change of [leadership] and now this is somebody who doesn’t come with the same baggage, who is willing to listen and talk. So it becomes cordial.

2

[PC leaders can now give] opinions so that [the MoH is] not just flying blind and telling us what they’re going to do, [but] we can give back some information.

3

[I call it] the sausage-making [table]…We created a forum for two-way consultation. [The MoH] can take things to [PC leaders], just to get their feedback. And it also helps them give us [ie. the MoH] information, and ask for things that we can take forward as well. So it’s helpful. [And we’re asking ourselves] “How do we engage other partners, whether it be community physicians or AHS, or eventually it’ll be other ministries? How do we engage with people in terms of being able to bring their advice forward into creating policy?

4

[In the autumn] suddenly, the MoH is setting up not one, but two committees to work with us. There’s other types of consultations going on informally [as well]. The gates have opened up!

5

[With the arrival of the] new health minister, negotiations were going better. The unofficial negotiations [particularly].

6

I have that informal relationship [with other PC leaders in other organizations where] we are working towards a common goal. I can talk to [physicians in the AHS-PHC unit] and say “[My organization] is going to do [a] webinar, do you guys want to [come and] speak about what you’re doing?” And so we’re just working closer. And it’s informal. It’s not like we have to do those things.

7

[Since the autumn, I think the MoH leaders] truly understand, and maybe were naive to, or underestimated the need for, strong relationships and what [those informal relationships] can actually produce.