ABSTRACT
In the field of social care, the reconsideration of the nature of care management is an important factor. Following the 1990 NHS and Community Care Act, care management was implemented in a relatively broad and generic fashion, but there has been a growing tendency to consider more differentiated forms which reflect the needs of older people in different circumstances. One feature of developments in health and social care has been the growing differentiation between long-term care and support provided by social care and acute health care provided by the NHS. Assessment was identified as one of the cornerstones of community care in the 1989 White Paper Caring for People, and was made a prerequisite prior to publicly-funded placement in care homes. The linking of rehabilitation and hospital discharge suggests further opportunities for the developing relationship between secondary health care and community-based care.
