Intermediate Need
What is intermediate care?
Intermediate care is a term used in healthcare that relates to services that sit between the traditional healthcare provision in the community (GPs and community nurses) and those provided by hospitals.1 As people get older, some will experience health-related issues that affect their ability to do the things they have always done, their independence and their wellbeing. Intermediate care services provide short-term support to help people recover from illness or injury, to adapt to limitations, and to increase their independence. The services are defined in four groups — reablement, crisis response, home based and bed based — and can take place in the person’s own home, in a care home or in hospital. Intermediate care services are usually provided by a mix of health and social care professionals with a range of different skills. The team might include nurses, social workers, doctors, and a range of therapists including: occupational therapist , physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, as well as care staff.2
Intermediate need
Among the conditions that commonly benefit from intermediate services are people learning to live with sensory impairments and those recovering from falls including hip fractures. For the latest data on how many people in Central Bedfordshire have been affected by these, please follow the links below.
Emergency hospital admissions for hip fracture in persons 65 years and over
Emergency hospital admissions due to falls in people aged 65 and over, 65-74, 75-84 and 85+
Hip fractures in people aged 65 and over, 65-79, 80+
Osteoporosis: QOF prevalence (age 50+)
People aged registered blind or partially sighted (65-74, 75+)
Preventable sight loss – age related macular degeneration (AMD) (age 65+)
Dementia
Dementia is associated with a loss of general cognitive ability and can present needs for which intermediate care is beneficial. There are many subtypes of this illness, with the most common being Alzheimer’s Disease. Although the prevalence of dementia increases with age, dementia is not a normal part of aging. Nationally there have been several key policies aimed at increasing the number of people diagnosed with dementia as estimates suggest that just over half the people with dementia have been diagnosed with the condition.
An in-depth Health Needs Assessment for Dementia in Central Bedfordshire was conducted in 2025.
References
- Woodford HJ, George J. Intermediate care for older people in the U.K. Clin Med (Lond). 2010 Apr;10(2):119-23. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.10-2-119. PMID: 20437978; PMCID: PMC4952079.
- NICE, Understanding intermediate care, including reablement. Quick guides to social care topics | NICE