Is intermediate care alive and kicking?

In 2000 the NHS Plan (Department of Health (DH), 2000) signalled the development of a new type of care service, ‘intermediate care’ which turned out to be one of the major initiatives for health care at that moment in time. Reflecting back on the intermediate care initiative, I remember attending a plethora of meetings about what it should be, how it could be defined and more importantly how it would be delivered. Intermediate care is a sweeping phrase which encompasses a wide diversity of practices in a range of venues. Initially promoted to facilitate rehabilitation and restore independence for older people, the concept spread to other clients—particularly those with neurological problems—young and old, all of whom needed rehabilitation. Intermediate care was led by increasing pressure on the government to reduce hospital waiting lists and this slowly led to a growth of interest in ‘intermediate care’ schemes, the common theme of which was the avoidance or reduction of periods of hospitalization.