Review of services for older people
The focus of the review – preventative services
We reviewed those services that help people stay healthy in later life and enable them to live independently for longer, thereby delaying or reducing the need for more costly intensive services (such as an in-patient stay in hospital, home care, day care and residential care).
These services are usually known as 'preventative services'. They fall into two types:
- targeted – provided to those people who will most benefit from them
- universal – open to all people to use.
Conclusions
The Review Board concluded that both targeted and universal preventative services play an important role in helping older people to maintain or improve their health and general well-being and prevent them from feeling socially isolated. This all helps in enabling an older person to maintain their independence and can reduce the need for intensive services.
The Board whole heartedly endorsed the provision of preventative services and supports spending a proportion of the Adult Social Care budget for this purpose.
Read the report
The final report was presented to the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee in September 2007. You can download it below. Contents include:
- background, and the shift towards preventative services
- findings on issues such as perception and funding
- conclusions and recommendations
- research
- a copy of the questionnaire sent to Older People’s Forums.
Enquiries
For more information please contact the Adult Social Care Scrutiny Committee.
