When life gets complex, people rarely experience problems in discrete and neat ways. Yet this is what service structures suggest, creating specialised silos that approach problems as though they are isolated and distinct. Family violence issues can intersect with mental ill-health, and may impact or be impacted upon by housing, employment or money issues. Other illness or disability might be in the mix, as might discrimination, criminal law or family law issues.

Health justice partnership brings legal help into healthcare settings and teams to more effectively address intersecting health and legal problems in the lives of shared clients. Partnerships work in a number of ways. They provide integrated health and legal care for individual clients. At the system level they build the capability of health and legal practitioners and services to provide more holistic person-centred care. More broadly, health justice partnerships advocate for change which improves the health and wellbeing of communities.

In choosing to partner, legal services frame their intent around improved access to justice. Health services aim to address social issues that are impacting upon their patients' health. Their shared intent is to improve the health and wellbeing of those disadvantaged by social and health inequity. Recognising the importance of shared goals as a principle of effective partnership (Partnership Brokers Association 2017), this paper explores wellbeing as one expressed outcome of health justice partnership.