On 2 Feb, the Department of Health announced the expansion of its Programme of Integrated Care Pilots. A new self-assessment tool has been launched to give local health and social care services the chance to apply to join the new, extended national integrated care community. Innovative services will become part of a network that will prompt debate, discussion and challenge policy makers. Central to the network is the sharing of knowledge and learning between sites, right across the country. This knowledge will help shape future direction in health and care policy. The programme of integrated care pilots began with 16 sites in April 2009, looking beyond traditional health and social care boundaries to explore personalised, flexible and better joined up services. The expanded community will enable more sites to set up projects working across a range of sectors, such as children’s services, education, criminal justice and housing.
Health Minister Mike O’Brien said: "We want to build on the success of the existing 16 integrated care pilot sites, working closely with their local communities to design health and social care services that work together seamlessly.
Care Services Minister Phil Hope said: “If local NHS and social care services work together, we can cut costs and improve people’s quality of life. Our new network will help showcase services, share best practice and drive up the quality of care across the country. For more information and to access the new self-assessment tool, visit: www.dh.gov.uk/integratedcare
3 December 2009
The Care Quality Commission praised improvements in adult social care but called for a renewed effort to eliminate poor quality services. The regulator has today given its first major statement on the quality of adult social care, drawing on four documents. The commission has commented that Councils are improving their ratings overall, however the assessment highlights concerns that are real and affect people's lives. There has been steady improvement in ratings awarded to councils for their adult social care commissioning, with 95% of local authorities in one of the top two categories - performing either "excellently" or "well" - in the year to March 2009. This compares to 87% of councils in the previous year. However, looking at specific areas of the assessment, one quarter of councils are rated only "adequate" in terms of giving people choice and control over their care.
For example, people should be able to expect help in taking control of their own support, with clear information and advice about support options, risks, costs and funding. Although this is partly the result of a harder test, it remains a priority for councils to address. A third of councils have more to do in terms of caring for people with dignity and respect - this includes improving arrangements around the safeguarding of adults.
2 December 2009
NHS dentistry is facing a major challenge coping with the consequences of the ageing population, a leading expert says. British Dental Association scientific adviser Professor Damien Walmsley said better oral care meant people were increasingly keeping their own teeth.He said that was good for patients, but would mean more work for dentists.In particular, he cited a rise in demands for replacement fillings and care for tooth erosion. Research by the BDA has shown that fewer than a third of over-65s currently have their own teeth, but within 20 years that is likely to increase to about 50% of them.
18 November 2009
Outlined yesterday in the 2009 Queen's Speech the introduction of the Personal Care at Home Bill will aim to guarantee free personal care for the 280,000 people with the "highest needs", such as those with serious dementia or Parkinson's disease.
The bill will also protect the savings of the 166,000 people who currently get free care, saving them from having to pay future charges. It promises to help 130,000 people needing to enter care homes for the first time to "regain their independence" and offers adaptations to the neediest people's homes to increase their independence.
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Housing minister John Healey is expected to announce that England’s five million housing association tenants will get their first ever rent reduction next year. It is reported that the fall in rents of just under 1% from next April will be because of low inflation.
However, the National Housing Federation (NHF) has warned the cut will cost millions in lost income and threaten services. The government said it was aware of concerns but added rent increases this year had been relatively high.
Some health trusts are failing to help drive down the use of "chemical cosh" drugs for dementia patients, a snapshot survey found today. Anti-psychotic drugs, which are recommended in the short-term to calm down people who are agitated or violent, are known to be overprescribed, particularly in care homes.
In January, a three-year study published in The Lancet Neurology found people taking the drugs for long periods were twice as likely to die early as those not on them. Government ministers are reviewing use of the drugs in dementia care but the report has not yet been published and is months past its due date.
The population of the United Kingdom is predicted to increase by over 4 million to 65.6 million in 2018, according to new population projections from the Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The population is also projected to rise most quickly for the oldest age groups. The number of people aged 85 and over is likely to more than double over the next 25 years from 1.3 million in 2008 to 3.3 million by 2033. The number of centenarians is projected to increase over the same period from 11,000 in 2008 to 80,000 in 2033.
Despite the forthcoming increases in state pension age, the population of state pensionable age is still projected to rise by 32 per cent over the next 25 years. In contrast, the population of working age is projected to rise by just 14 per cent.
Spending time on the internet reduces depression in older people by 20 per cent according to a report from US think tank, the Phoenix Centre. The policy paper even suggested that the nation’s healthcare bill could be cut if older people went online, lowering the incidence of depression.The recommendations are based on a survey of 7,000 retired Americans aged 55 and older. People who were still working or living in nursing homes were excluded from the survey because it was felt that they would skew the findings.
“Maintaining relationships with friends and family at a time in life when mobility becomes increasingly limited is challenging for the elderly,” study co-author Dr Sherry G. Ford from the University of Montevallo in Alabama.“Increased internet access and use by senior citizens enables them to connect with sources of social support when face-to-face interaction becomes more difficult.”
Campaigners have slammed the "shocking" treatment of elderly people living in care homes after research revealed seven out of 10 had been given the wrong drugs or doses.Overworked staff, poor teamwork and a lack of training were leading to mistakes that could result in discomfort, pain and even death, according to the report.
The study found that staff lacked knowledge of what medicines should be given with food, did not always know how to administer inhalers and did not order adequate supplies of drugs. Researchers from universities in Leeds, London and Surrey examined data from 256 residents in 55 care homes across England. Each resident was typically taking eight medicines each. In some cases the medication was mislabelled while in others patients were given the wrong doses or no dose at all. Almost a third (30%) of the drugs which should have been monitored for potentially harmful side-effects were not.
Researchers also carried out interviews with residential care home staff, doctors and pharmacists, finding evidence of doctors who were not accessible and did not know the residents, a high staff workload, a lack of training, drug round interruptions, lack of teamwork, inefficient ordering systems and inaccurate medicine records.
The report said: "It was clear from the interviews that no one took responsibility for the whole system. We often saw well-intentioned people doing their best but in an uncoordinated way."
To coincide with the UN International Day for Older People, UK Older People’s Day will take place today, Thursday 1 October 2009.
It is our chance to start to tackle outdated stereotypes around ageing by bringing people of all ages together.
The main aims for the day are to:
• celebrate the huge contribution older people make to our society and economy
• create a positive view of later life and tackle outdated stereotypes
• raise awareness of the opportunities and entitlements for older people across society
• ensure older people don’t feel excluded or isolated from the rest of society
The Ageing Population Conferenceis the UK’s premier event for those involved with meeting the challenges andopportunities of an ageing society. The Ageing Population Conference on Thursday 25th February at the QEII Conference Centre, London.
Confirms to Speak at the Ageing Population Conference 2010
Two million vulnerable homes have now been helped through the Government’s flagship scheme to tackle fuel poverty and fight climate change. Since the Warm Front scheme began in 2000, more than £2.2 billion has been spent giving people on qualifying benefits the peace of mind they can afford to heat their homes in the winter. In the last financial year alone, the Warm Front scheme helped more than 233,000 homes in England totalling £397 million, with most housing someone over 60 years old. Energy and Climate Change Minister David Kidney met Mr Pervis, a pensioner from Shiremoor near Newcastle, who has benefited from a range of energy saving measures through Warm Front including loft, cavity wall insulation and a new energy efficient boiler. It is estimated Mr Pervis could save up to £360 a year in fuel bills and up to 1.4 tonnes of CO2 per year – equivalent to boiling enough water to make 80,380 cups of tea.
Data published today by the Department of Health shows that the waiting times for patients with hearing difficulties to receive a digital hearing aid has reached an all time low. Patients in England are now waiting on average just 4.9 weeks for the whole of their journey from GP referral to treatment in direct access audiology services. Three years ago, 47,000 people were waiting over a year for a hearing assessment before facing another wait for the fitting of a hearing aid. In March 2008, the Department of Health committed to tackling waiting times for patients referred directly to audiology services including those patients needing a hearing aid. The NHS recently celebrated the shortest waits since records began. Across England, the NHS has met its standard to treat patients within a maximum of 18 weeks from referral by their GP and we will continue to support the NHS to sustain this excellent performance.
© GovNet Events 2009
