main content Helping older people keep their independence

Putting older people at the centre of planning their care and support at home and giving them more control of how money is spent on the services they need, is at the heart of ‘Independence and Choice for Older People in Bromley’. This is the Council’s strategy for meeting the health and social care needs of older people. It was developed following workshops involving people using the service, health services, ethnic minority groups, voluntary organisations and providers. The strategy is evolving and will be subject to on-going consultation as it is broadened to cover changes in the health service and developments to tackle issues facing older people who may suffer disadvantage.

Research shows older people want to remain as independent as possible for as long as possible. As well as focusing on giving older people greater choice and control over the support they need, the strategy focuses on helping older people stay healthy and maximising their potential for recovery from illness. Hospital visits will be for specialist and planned treatment with emergency and unplanned treatment avoided as much as possible. The strategy also focuses on older people having access to accommodation options that are appropriate to their needs, avoiding the need for residential care.

The strategy will mean developing new ways of working and will involve piloting new services and working in close partnership with the health service, the voluntary, community and independent sector as well as users themselves and their carers.

Initially the focus is on social care services for older people but will also cover those being delivered with the Primary Care Trust who are currently carrying out their own large scale consultation called ‘A picture of Health’ on the future off health care in Bromley.

The Council’s Older People’s Champion and the Older People’s Partnership will have a key role in monitoring the delivery and implementation of the strategy and act as advisors. Consultation as the strategy evolves will be on-going.

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Notes to editors: 

• The strategy, ‘Independence and Choice for Older People in Bromley’ supports the transformation of social care identified in the Government’s White Paper ‘Our Health, Out Care, Our Say’ (2006) and confirmed in the ‘Putting People First’ concordat (2007).
• The strategy makes specific links to the Transforming Social Care programme in Bromley which will be undertaken from 2008 – 11.
• Supporting independence for older people and other people with care needs is one of the Council’s Building a Better Bromley priorities. This includes developing alternatives to residential care for older people, commissioning additional extra care housing; improving integrated health and social care so support can safely be delivered at home; ensuring older people receive the help they need by the timely delivery and effective management of assessments and care packages. 
• The Older People’s Partnership is made up of service users and their carers, PCT, NHS, Council and voluntary organisations.

For media enquiries, please contact amanda.day@bromley.gov.uk Communications Officer, on 020 8313 4390.