Tom Chapman is Director, Centre for Health Research & Evaluation, Edge Hill College of HE. He has wide teaching experience in British higher education He has extensive publications in the care of the elderly and mental health. In the last 5 years he has authored over 20 books, research reports and monographs in the field of health services research. A previous co-authored book for Ashgate is Growing Old and Needing Care: An audit of the health and social care needs of the elderly (1995). Kathryn Roberts is Research Fellow at Centre for Health Research & Evaluation, Edge Hill College of HE. An experienced researcher in health and social care and nursing. She has published several journal articles on care of the elderly.

’The increasing prominence of the older age groups in society needs to be recognised.  Roberts and Chapman focus on a critical test for the NHS - how do the elderly users of health and social care services fare? This well-written study usefully identifies how different categories of people adopt different active roles in their own care.  Interestingly, the study implicitly challenges the significance of age.’ Professor Keith Soothill, Lancaster University, UK

• Contents: Introduction; User participation in the welfare state; The policy context; The position of elderly people in UK society; Research design and methodology; Findings; Discussion 1: barriers and enablers in the use of health and social care; Discussion 2: social differentiation and the use of health and social care; Summary and evaluation; Bibliography.

Tom Chapman is Director, Centre for Health Research & Evaluation, Edge Hill College of HE. He has wide teaching experience in British higher education He has extensive publications in the care of the elderly and mental health. In the last 5 years he has authored over 20 books, research reports and monographs in the field of health services research. A previous co-authored book for Ashgate is Growing Old and Needing Care: An audit of the health and social care needs of the elderly (1995). Kathryn Roberts is Research Fellow at Centre for Health Research & Evaluation, Edge Hill College of HE. An experienced researcher in health and social care and nursing. She has published several journal articles on care of the elderly.

’The increasing prominence of the older age groups in society needs to be recognised.  Roberts and Chapman focus on a critical test for the NHS - how do the elderly users of health and social care services fare? This well-written study usefully identifies how different categories of people adopt different active roles in their own care.  Interestingly, the study implicitly challenges the significance of age.’ Professor Keith Soothill, Lancaster University, UK

• Contents: Introduction; User participation in the welfare state; The policy context; The position of elderly people in UK society; Research design and methodology; Findings; Discussion 1: barriers and enablers in the use of health and social care; Discussion 2: social differentiation and the use of health and social care; Summary and evaluation; Bibliography.

Tom Chapman is Director, Centre for Health Research & Evaluation, Edge Hill College of HE. He has wide teaching experience in British higher education He has extensive publications in the care of the elderly and mental health. In the last 5 years he has authored over 20 books, research reports and monographs in the field of health services research. A previous co-authored book for Ashgate is Growing Old and Needing Care: An audit of the health and social care needs of the elderly (1995). Kathryn Roberts is Research Fellow at Centre for Health Research & Evaluation, Edge Hill College of HE. An experienced researcher in health and social care and nursing. She has published several journal articles on care of the elderly.

’The increasing prominence of the older age groups in society needs to be recognised.  Roberts and Chapman focus on a critical test for the NHS - how do the elderly users of health and social care services fare? This well-written study usefully identifies how different categories of people adopt different active roles in their own care.  Interestingly, the study implicitly challenges the significance of age.’ Professor Keith Soothill, Lancaster University, UK

• Contents: Introduction; User participation in the welfare state; The policy context; The position of elderly people in UK society; Research design and methodology; Findings; Discussion 1: barriers and enablers in the use of health and social care; Discussion 2: social differentiation and the use of health and social care; Summary and evaluation; Bibliography.