ABSTRACT
The Seebohm Committee had stressed the importance of the coordination of services provided by the same and different agencies, of mobilising community resources and supporting informal carers. However, the focus of much of Seebohm's discussion of coordination was not on the elements of field organisation necessary to secure it, but the local social planning of service resources. In the 'Exchange' process, community care workers are hypothesised to acquire improved reputations for judgement and an ability to deploy resources more effectively. Community care workers therefore become more effective advocates for their clients, and the efficiency of all care services are improved. Before Richard Titmuss's articles in The Times, 'community care' has been an influential concept, an evocative slogan which has justified some of the best developments in long-term care in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
