As debate continues to rage around community care provision for older people in the UK, Ursula Pac-Soo explores how the elderly population in Germany fares.

In April 1993, the NHS and Community Care Act transformed the basis for community care in Britain. The aim was to increase the flexibility and sensitivity of responses to the needs of individuals and their carers, to foster independence, to provide a range of options for consumers, and to target those with the greatest need. Local authorities became responsible for the assessment of needs, the design of care arrangements, and their delivery. Management of care was separated from its provision, and it was expected that public sector involvement would decline and the private and voluntary sectors expand.