Hospice home care in the United Kingdom.

This review traces the history and development of specialist home care teams in the United Kingdom from the establishment of the first team in 1969. By 1993 there were over 400 such teams. It looks at studies evaluating the role and working patterns of the teams and documents their increasing acceptance by patients, community professionals and health planners as an integral part of community palliative care. Possible future developments for specialist home care teams, including an extension of their traditional roles, are discussed.