Cost-effecriveness in community care

This paper summarises the cost-effectiveness work which has been carried out on alternative patterns of care for elderly people, people with a mental handicap and people with chronic mental illness. The amount of work completed varies according to the client group concerned. There is, for example, a considerable number of studies on the care of elderly people which have helped to inform policies on the provision of services across many forms of care. There is much less work on which to draw for the other groups of people. A summary of policy conclusions is set out at the beginning of the paper and a review of the cost-effectiveness studies follows in the next three main parts. The methodology of cost-effectiveness in community care is set out in an appendix.