Intermediate Care: Its Place in a Whole‐Systems Approach

This paper considers intermediate care as part of a whole‐systems approach to care. It argues that this perspective allows a wider appreciation of the potential benefits of intermediate care, and that this would also be a welcome feature in future research studies. The paper draws on an evaluation of intermediate care in Cornwall and outlines the central role of intermediate care co‐ordination in the whole system. The example of residential rehabilitation is then used to examine how an individual service relates to the system as a whole. Finally, factors that may also influence local systems such as partnership working and rurality are considered; these are seen as important considerations for any other authorities which might seek to replicate the Cornwall approach to intermediate care.