The Continuing Care Project (CCP) is concerned with improving the quality of the arrangements made for support and care in the community when elderly people are discharged from hospital. This current study, which describes practices in use in 1982, shows that whilst significant progress has been made in tackling the problems, they have become more serious, mainly due to the current and projected increases in the elderly population. The CCP has added an appendix to this study which deals with further aspects of the work of professionals and volunteers and offers pointers for future action.