In 2011 BGS published An Inquiry into the Quality of Healthcare Support for Older People in Care Homes: A Call for Leadership, Partnership and Improvement. It identified that the following was needed:

A health service suitable for the specific needs of this population. This means a structured and pro-active approach to care, with coordinated teams working together built on primary care and supported by a range of specialists (for instance geriatric medicine, mental health and rehabilitation medicine).   

The residents and their relatives must be at the centre of decisions about care. Their voices and those of their advocates must be heard, and their choices and priorities known and respected.   

A multi-disciplinary approach. This should include nationally consistent access to specialist community nursing and the full range of allied health professionals which would be available to older people living at home.   

A partnership approach with care homes and social care professionals. This means shared information, assessments, policies, training and learning to support quality improvement and clinical governance, to tackle key challenges that affect the quality of life of residents.

We have traveled a long road and much has changed …or has it…and how?

Autumn Speakers Series: Is it just me… or have we listened and changed?