This report discusses progress and problems arising in the joint commissioning of community care services during 1993. Particular attention is given to the commissioning of services for older people, which in terms of expenditure, size of population and potential for service change represent a major challenge in health and social care. The report also concentrates on developments in joint commissioning at strategic level rather than at the operational level where care managers are purchasing for individuals. The relationship however should not be forgotten: joint commissioning makes more sense and is at its most powerful when it clearly operates as part of a broader community care planning process. It is hoped that this brief account will contribute to the debate about the benefits and the limitations of collaborative commissioning, principally between health and local authorities and the future directions in which it might be heading. It should be of interest to local health and social care commissioners working on a collaborative basis and also to those at national level who are interested in promoting innovation and good practice in this area. Five development sites are described in the appendix: Eastington; Hillingdon; Oxfordshire; Westminster; and Wiltshire.