An article examined how ready or vulnerable each primary care organization in England was in 2010 to the National Health Service reforms proposed by the coalition government, which were enacted by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Areas with higher concentrations of older people were not correlated with vulnerability except where there was also deprivation. This contrasted with widespread qualitative and quantitative evidence of sub-optimal care of older people – suggesting that there might be an over-reliance on using activity, which was proportionately higher in the least vulnerable areas, to determine funding and quality markers rather than outcomes. A risk of the reform process could be a negative impact on deprived areas that appeared to be financially less secure and more likely to have long-established health inequalities.
Source: Jose Iparraguirre, Tom Gentry, and Diego Pena, 'Vulnerability of primary care organizations to the National Health Service reform in England', Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, Volume 35 Issue 4
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Dec
A government report examined the prevalence, prevention, and impact of dementia in England and set out the priorities for future action.
Source: Dementia: A state of the nation report on dementia care and support in England, Department of Health
Links: Report | DH press release | Alzheimer's Society press release | RCN press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined research during the past year from research organizations and charities, to explore what was known about end of life care. The report examined the influence of marital status and ethnicity on place of death, patient experience, the role of community, and palliative care. The report noted large geographic variations in the proportion of deaths in hospital, but said the proportion of people dying at home or in care homes increased from 38 per cent in 2008 to 44 per cent in 2012.
Source: What We Know Now 2013: New information collated by the National End of Life Care Intelligence Network, Public Health England
Links: Report | PHE press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Nov
A report examined the barriers that prevented people from having choice at the end of life, and made recommendations for improvements.
Source: Time to Choose: Making choice at the end of life a reality, Macmillan Cancer Support
Links: Report | Macmillan press release | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report by the equality and human rights watchdog examined the responses of local authorities in England to a previous report (published in November 2011) into the human rights of older people receiving home care. The work was informed by an online survey of local authorities, the results of which were published alongside the report.
Source: , Close to Home Recommendations Review, Equality and Human Rights Commission | Lorna Adams, Christoph Koerbitz, Liz Murphy, and Mark Tweddle, Older People and Human Rights in Home Care: Local authority responses to the Close to home inquiry report, Research Report 89, Equality and Human Rights Commission
Links: Report | Summary | EHRC press release | Research report | Guardian report
Date: 2013-Oct
A report examined the current role and practice of hospice care, and the issues faced by the sector, making recommendations for change.
Source: Commission into the Future of Hospice Care, Future Ambitions for Hospice Care: Our mission and our opportunity – the final report of the Commission into the Future of Hospice Care, Help the Hospices
Links: Report | NCPC press release | Age UK press release | BBC report
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined the availability of longitudinal or nationally representative cross-sectional sources of information on the health and well-being of older adults residing in care homes in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The article concluded that most longitudinal and nationally representative cross-sectional studies did not include or follow up older adults in care homes.
Source: Danielle Collingridge Moore and Barbara Hanratty, 'Out of sight, out of mind? A review of data available on the health of care home residents in longitudinal and nationally representative cross-sectional studies in the UK and Ireland', Age and Ageing, Volume 42 Number 6
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Oct
An article examined a research project that sought to increase equity of access to primary mental healthcare for under-served groups. The study examined existing evidence around access to services, which then informed a quasi-experimental design to test a three-stage model (community engagement, primary care and psychosocial interventions) in four disadvantaged localities, focusing on older people and minority-ethnic populations.
Source: Christopher Dowrick, Carolyn Chew-Graham, Karina Lovell, Janine Lamb, Saadia Aseem, Susan Beatty, Pete Bower, Heather Burroughs, Pam Clarke, Suzanne Edwards, Mark Gabbay, Katja Gravenhorst, Jon Hammond, Derek Hibbert, Marija Kovandzic, Mari Lloyd-Williams, Waquas Waheed, and Linda Gask, 'Increasing equity of access to high-quality mental health services in primary care: a mixed-methods study', Programme Grants for Applied Research, Volume 1 Issue 2
Links: Article
Date: 2013-Oct
A report said that a new 'quality mark' should be introduced to help hospitals provide the best quality of care for older patients.
Source: Response to the Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry, Royal College of Physicians
Links: Report | Summary | RCP press release
Date: 2013-Sep
An article examined the impact of recently proposed age-specific alcohol consumption limits on the proportion and number of older people in England classified as being at risk of alcohol-related harm. The recommended limits would increase the number classified as hazardous alcohol consumers to a level greater than that found among young adults aged 16-24.
Source: Craig Knott, Shaun Scholes, and Nicola Shelton, 'Could more than three million older people in England be at risk of alcohol-related harm? A cross-sectional analysis of proposed age-specific drinking limits', Age and Ageing, Volume 42 Number 5
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Aug
The Welsh Government began consultation on proposals to promote more integrated health and social care for older people with complex needs.
Source: A Framework for Delivering Integrated Health and Social Care for Older People with Complex Needs, Welsh Government
Links: Consultation document | Welsh Government press release
Date: 2013-Jul
An article described a European project to develop a way of analyzing long-term care and its links with the health and social care systems, and with formal and informal care.
Source: Jenny Billings, 'The INTERLINKS framework for long-term care of older people in Europe', Journal of Integrated Care, Volume 21 Number 3
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jun
An article examined the financial consequences for older people in Europe of private 'out-of-pocket' expenditure necessary to obtain healthcare and long-term care. Such expenditure was very common, and could have a significant impact on disposable income.
Source: Xenia Scheil-Adlung and Jacopo Bonan, 'Gaps in social protection for health care and long-term care in Europe: are the elderly faced with financial ruin?', International Social Security Review, Volume 66 Issue 1
Links: Abstract
Date: 2013-Jan
