Citation
(2002), "Improving services for older people", International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance, Vol. 15 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijhcqa.2002.06215aab.008
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
Improving services for older people
Improving services for older people
A new UK Social Services Inspectorate (SSI) report published in September shows improvements across the country in social care services for older people. The report, Inspection of Social Care Services for Older People, looked at 21 councils between October 1999 and November 2000, to analyse how well social services were responding to the national policy agenda for improving older people's care set out in Modernising Social Services and the recent National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People.
According to Denise Platt, SSI Chief Inspector, older people use social services to help them to have as a full and independent a life as possible. Family and friends who act as carers expect that their support for an older person will be complemented by care from social services which reflects their individual needs and circumstances.
Nationally it was found that there was a commitment to the values and aims of Modernising Social Services and satisfaction with services was high – 80 per cent plus in user surveys. There were also new and innovative services emerging that were making a real difference to people's lives.
The main finding was that the majority of social services had responded to Modernising Social Services by creating or expanding independence by promoting services targeted at prevention and rehabilitation. Other key issues were:
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Social services need to be in charge of the direction and performance of their social care services for older people.
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Social services need to create a management infrastructure for modernisation.
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Close strategic partnership between social services and the NHS locally was at its best when senior managers became part of one strategic network to tackle issues that crossed traditional dividing lines.
Further information: Copies of the report, Improving Older People's Services report are available from Department of Health Publications, PO Box 777, London SE1 6XH. The report is also available on the Internet at www.doh.gov.uk/scg/improvingops.htm