The use of Services by the Elderly Three and Twelve Months after Discharge from Hospital

The elderly are the largest client group of the NHS occupying approximately half of all acute beds. Given the projected increases in the size of the elderly population it is expected that the demands made by the elderly for hospital care will increase. To cater for this increase in demand, without significantly increasing resources, it has been proposed that the length of stay in hospital, for the elderly, should be reduced. See DHSS (1981).