Objectives Whole system integration of health and social care has been positioned as key to improving care, increasing efficiency and controlling costs. However, evidence for the benefits of whole system integration is scarce. Drawing on organizational theory, this study uses the implementation of remote care services, viewed as an enabler for whole system working, to explore the reality of achieving this policy objective. Methods Qualitative, longitudinal data were collected across nine UK sites adopting remote care over three years. Three sites formed the Department of Health's Whole Systems Demonstrator (WSD) programme for remote care. In addition, the implementation of remote care was explored in six other sites unconstrained by the randomized control trial procedures of the WSD programme. The methods were ethnographic (including 235 hours of observations and 184 interviews). Participants were health and social care staff and Government policy makers. Results Remote care did not lead to system redesign; however, local ‘ownership’ of new services did lead to more collaborative practices across the care system. Lack of integration was an enduring and endemic challenge across all sites, relating to differences in statutory responsibilities, absence of shared budgets and hybrid organizational roles, differences in work practices and organizational philosophies, and ambiguity around what ‘whole system working’ actually entailed. Conclusions Policy initiatives like the WSD programme provide opportunities to phase in collaborative practices and create an awareness of the need for joint working. However, the progress observed suggests that the concept of whole system redesign around remote care is currently unrealistic.