The impact of a new community based service (NIMROD) on generic service contact was assessed for people living in different residential settings: supported accommodation in ordinary housing; mental handicap hospitals, and private family homes. 1 Results over five years indicated considerable variability in patterns of generic service usage and provided evidence of a limited impact of NIMROD on the frequency and type of services used. While receipt of NIMROD may have effected an increase in service usage for some people living in family homes, findings also indicated an opposite effect for those who moved into supported accommodation. Doctors and dentists were used by a consistently high proportion of people over time. The most marked change in service usage during the study was an increase in the use of chiropody services by hospital residents. The central role played by General Practitioners in community based care is discussed and the importance of examining client need in conjunction with extent of service usage is highlighted.
