Assessment of older people: politics and practice in primary care

This paper reviews some of the key policy changes in the United Kingdom in relation to older people that have influenced assessment practice across he alth and social care, and have implications far nursing within emerging pri mary care groups. The role of assessment in purchasing care packages raises tensions and paradoxes far health and social care professionals that the p aper sets out to elucidate with particular reference to district nurses. Th e issues for nursing have not been well described previously and questions such as key accountability, rationing, multiagency and interprofessional wo rking, and the consumer voice, are discussed.