ABSTRACT
The impact of an ageing population on health resources has been widely discussed and debated within a number of different forums: government, academia, and various health care settings, e.g. hospital and community. Despite the growing recognition that the ageing population represents a major challenge in health care, there has been no major government policy initiative on this topic. This chapter describes the background to this legislation, its implementation in the nursing home environment, its influence on nursing home care delivery, and possible lessons for the UK. Prescribing behaviour in US nursing homes has changed, and in fact, changes were observed prior to the formal implementation of the regulations i.e. anticipatory changes. Regulation of nursing homes is also governed by legislation in the form of the Registered Homes Act and accompanying regulations in England and Wales, and equivalent legislation in Northern Ireland and Scotland. Interdisciplinary working should be a component of any new model of nursing home care.
