Hospital admissions. Cold remedies.

The closure of a casualty department provoked a crisis in Hillingdon in the winter of 1996-97. Worried by the publicity, elderly people contacted the health authority to ask what would happen to them if they became ill. An all-day workshop, attended by elderly people, chief executives, nurses, social workers and representatives from the community health council and ambulance services, led to several initiatives, including a rapid response home service, which helped prevent a crisis last winter.