Frequently, however, it was evident that some of the freshness of an essay was inevitably lost in the wait for other essays to complete a volume, and sometimes one suspected the immediacy of the thrust of a particular communication had been lost in a volume in which the collection is of disparate nature. It has therefore been decided to experiment with a new series of Occasional Papers, arising from ventures of the Trust concerned with matter of the moment and designed to lead the way to improvement of services.
The first of these is this commentary by Sir Ivor Batchelor which raises questions on a major problem of our time which is likely to worsen in the near future, namely the care of the very elderly and frail. The implications of the increase in this group are disturbing and call for an urgent review of what will be required by way of public policy to ensure an adequate state of readiness to deal with what could well in the immediate future be a major crisis in care provision.