Emerging models of care management for older people and those with mental health problems in the United Kingdom

Care management has emerged as a central component in the development of community based care in many countries. It has been government policy for providers of social services to develop care management systems in the United Kingdom since 1993. This paper examines the extent to which it is possible to begin to discern models of care from the different care management arrangements which are now emerging. First, the background to changes in policy and the role of care management in the UK social care system are discussed; second, evidence from the early phases of care management development in the UK is also examined; and third, based upon the pilot phase of a major national study of care management, the key dimensions of variation in care management through which models may be constituted are identified.