What is intermediate care?: More than a health service term

doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7467.686-a

BMJ 2004;329:686 (18 September), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7467.686-a

Letter

What is intermediate care?

More than a health service term

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Any search for clarity or consensus on the meaningof intermediate care, as discussed by Melis et al,¹ is doomedto end in disagreement and disappointment. Much of the confusionstems from misunderstanding it as a medical intervention.

Intermediate care is a function or form of assessment and careand case management that challenges the one size fits all approachin favour of individually tailored efforts to meet needs, promoteindependence, and prevent further disability and distress. Thesetasks are not simply targets for health services. Intermediatecare exposes the interdependency between health and social care(as well as housing, voluntary, and family support systems).If a definition is still needed, all these should help to shapethe term.

The voices of older people also need to influence such debates.In our experience the term intermediate care is rather meaninglessto most people receiving it, but they do . . . [Full text of this article]

Jill Manthorpe, professor of social work

Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King's College, London SE1 9NN jill.manthorpe@kcl.ac.uk

Michelle Cornes, research fellow

Department of Social Work, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire PR1 2HE

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Relevant Article

What is intermediate care?: René J F Melis, Marcel G M Olde Rikkert, Stuart G Parker, and Monique I J van Eijken
BMJ 2004 329: 360-361. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]