GPs' Assessments of People Aged 75 and Over: Identifying the Need for Occupational Therapy Services

Abstract

Since April 1990, general practitioners (GPs) have been required to offer an annual home visit and assessment to all people aged 75 and over. This article reports on a research study into the outcomes of these assessments. More referrals were made to community occupational therapy than to any other service — 5% of all people assessed were referred to community occupational therapy — although all the referrals were made following assessments by nurses rather than by GPs themselves. Interviews with a separate sample of elderly people revealed that 17% needed occupational therapy. Once people had been referred, the mean time they had to wait for a community occupational therapy visit was 14 weeks. Even after occupational therapy contact ceased, a number of people still needed further occupational therapy. The study shows that the assessments are a valuable way of identifying elderly people's needs. It also raises questions about the way the assessments are carried out and the resources required to meet identified needs.