Abstract
The NHS and Community Care Act 1990 heralded a change from service-led to needs-led assessment. A recently published research study concerned with assessment of need for district nursing 1 enquired into the needs assessment process from the practitioners' perspective. This paper draws on interview data from district nurses and GPs in exploring the role of the district nurse in identifying need for district nursing care at individual and community levels. Direct district nurse involvement in the identification of need for their care was found to be limited. The paper presents an argument for a stronger level of practitioner involvement in the needs assessment process at both individual and community level.

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