Access to health care in nursing homes: a survey in one English Health Authority.

The objective of the study was to establish the arrangements for provision of general practitioner (GP), nursing advice, chiropody, physiotherapy and speech and language services to nursing homes and to establish the charging policies for those services. To this end a telephone survey of the managers of the 51 nursing homes registered with one English health authority, Merton, Sutton and Wandsworth Health Authority, was undertaken. Forty-nine homes (96%) with 1541 residents responded.