Support for the idea of teamwork as an abstract ideal is not matched by practice. The Integrated Care in Shropshire project formed a partnership between Shropshire Social Services Department, Shropshire District Health Authority and Shropshire Family Health Services Authority together with the Helen Hamlyn Foundation. The first strand of the project was the development of procedures for assessment; it had a relatively clear goal and a firm deadline. The second strand was the development of better-integrated primary health care teams, but insufficient time and resources limited what could be achieved. Collaboration between the agencies has been extended for a further period and local units will be invited to put forward their own schemes. The ICIS project illustrates the need for 'pilot projects' to be conceived and managed by their sponsor agencies as sites for organisational learning if they are to be effective.

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Stages in the life cycle of community care planning.

Local and health authorities have been required to plan community care since 1992. Expectations of the purpose and utility of the process still differ widely. This article explores experience to date and explains the changes in practice identified.

Community Health Services↗

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Towards care in the community: a carer's tale.

It is not easy to write about the recent death of a parent. While carrying out action research on community care planning in the Midlands, the author was compelled to gain first-hand experience of the impact of care in the community at the sharp end by his mother's terminal illness. The learning curve was steep. Care workers have to take a lot of knocks in the current political environment. It is a relief--and no little personal therapy--to be able to report a success story. Writing up the experience provided an opportunity to express gratitude to all members of the care team involved and at the same time to vaunt the concept of the 'live-in carer' scheme, an innovation deserving replication elsewhere.

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