Our fascinating interview with Patric Kallman of INCA Integrated Care Solutions shows just how cost effective the polyclinic model can be. He claims that academic studies show polyclinics that combine ambulatory surgery and primary care save 40% on healthcare costs. But implementing these systems in wealthy Western Europe with its established network of hospitals (and interests) is far from easy.

So which countries in Europe are leading here? The answer may well be the Polish private sector. Marcin Ajewski says that Medicover and Lux-Med have been building and operating large polyclinics for years now. Ajewski, who set up Healthcare Consultants Poland, is building a chain of polyclinics for Falck, the giant Danish ambulance and fire brigade group. The difference is that the Falck clinics are serving the Polish National Health Insurance Fund, rather than private patients paid for by their employers. Falck is about grow the business 50% with an acquisition, which will boost sales by PZloty15m.

Eslewhere across Europe, as ever, the issue is how to introduce polyclinics into public healthcare sectors which are dominated by inpatient and outpatient siloes and marked aversion to change.