ABSTRACT
The Hampshire experience outlined in this chapter illustrates the ambivalence with which local managers, members and practitioners view the government's care trust 'experiments'. On the one hand, there is a passion locally for creating a seamless service for the recipients of health and social care, coupled with the determination that across local government and health overstretched resources are used to maximum effect through integrated working. On the other hand, there remains both a strong scepticism that a new single organisation and legal entity accountable to the Secretary of State can better fulfil local aspirations or that the organisational turmoil required to become a care trust will achieve desired out comes (of better services).
