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• Topic Summary
• Data & Trends
• Supporting Documents

1. Provide a package of support to enable older people to retain independence in their own home e.g. direct payments and individual budgets, supported housing schemes, domiciliary services, invest in new technologies such as tele-health, tele-care and tele-medicine, equipment and adaptations, better access to GPs and work with the voluntary sector to encourage the development of preventative services e.g. handyperson, trade register, information bank.

In 2008/09 and 2009/10 older people's services is likely to face significant base budget pressures in Social Services. It is unlikely that older people's net expenditure budget will increase significantly above inflation and there will therefore be greater demand to realise efficiency savings so that resource levels can finance most of the growing demand for services.

Many initiatives in place, but Health and social care services face a particular challenge in meeting the expectations of a growing and changing older population.

• Older people in poor health - particular risk of dementia, stroke, musculo-skeletal disorders, cardiovascular disease and cancer
• Unnecessary hospital admissions: older people's health neglected until they become ill and require treatment
• Older people unable to participate in neighbourhood, family life and social life
• Carers not adequately supported to enable them to continue their caring role

• Given future resource constraints, there is a need to focus on the potential for reducing need for intensive support by investing in low-intensity, preventative interventions. (Personal Social Services Research Unit)
• More needs to be done to ensure that those most at risk of depression are made the focus of community initiatives and policy priorities.

Factors identified by the Institute of Public Policy Research as shaping wellbeing in older people include:

During 2005-06 only 3% of all adults in Newcastle aged over 18 received services commissioned by Adult Social Services. This increased to 12% of all adults aged over 65, 20% of all adults aged over 75 and 40% of all adults aged over 85.

• Long-term conditions

In Newcastle, the proportion of very high intensity users (VHIUs) occupying emergency inpatient bed days was around 60%, which was much higher than the national average of 42%.

National

Government policy is changing. The government is beginning to recognise the impact of an ageing population and is building a more coherent and integrated approach around four key themes:

Satisfaction with services

Newcastle City Council carried out an annual survey of residents covering a variety of issues. The following figures represent a sample of questions asked, based on residents aged 16-49and 50+ (Newcastle City Council Residents Survey 2005/6)