Policy statements
Briefings
Consultation responses
Reports
Articles
In this section you will find information on how Help the Aged is working to campaign for better health services for older people in the UK.
This section focuses on those services provided by the National Health Service including acute and primary care services.
Information about the Charity's work to promote preventative services, and its response to the 2004 White Paper 'Choosing Health', can be found in the separate Healthy Ageing section
Information about our international work on health and older people can be found in the HIV/AIDS section
Policy statements
Extracting the Evidence (November 2008) Help the Aged policy statement on the oral health and dental care needs of older people, an area often mistakenly overlooked by health professionals, dental health professionals, care home workers, carers and older people themselves.
Meeting care needs in the community (October 07)
Help the Aged policy statement on meeting care needs in the community through health services and local authorities; and their role in actively promoting the increased independence and quality of life in older age.
Hospital and Internediate Care (September 2004)
Help the Aged policy statement on hospitals and intermediate care, including evidence on delayed transfers of care and the need for higher hospital services standards for older people.
End of life (December 2002) Help the Aged policy statement on control, autonomy and choice in later life and end of life. ^top
Briefings
End of Life Care Strategy (July 2008)
Short briefing on the Government's End of Life Care Strategy and Help the Aged's response.
Health and Social Care Bill (April 2008)
Parliamentary briefing on the Health and Social Care Bill at the committee stages to the House of Lords.
NHS and the elderly mentally ill (January 2008)
A briefing for MPs for the January adjournement debate on the NHS and elderly mentally ill.
Health and Social Care Bill, Second Reading (November 2007)
A briefing for MPs on the second reading of the Health and Social Care Bill.
End of Life (July 2005)
A briefing for peers speaking in the House of Lords debate on palliative care.
Depression (February 2005)
A briefing on findings about depression and older people, including the prevalence and risk of depression among older people, the evaluation of current policy, and the identification of gaps in evidence and areas of further work. ^top
Consultation responses
NHS Constitution – New Rights (January 2010)
The DH is now consulting on two new proposed “rights” – the right to treatment within 18 weeks; and to an NHS Health-Check every five years for people between the ages of 40-74. They are also proposing further rights for consideration in the future.
Age Equality in Health and Social Care (February 2010)
This consultation comes in response to the report Achieving Equality in Health and Social Care, asking for further comments on its recommendations about how the NHS and social care in England can prepare for the age requirements of the Equality Bill.
Personal Care at Home – A Department of Health consultation on proposals for regulations and guidance (February 2010)
This consultation is seeking views on proposed regulations and guidance for requiring councils in England to provide personal care for people with the highest needs who live at home.
Summary NHS Constitution – New Rights (January 2010)
In January 2009, the Department of Health published the NHS Constitution outlining the rights of individuals accessing NHS services.
Quality Accounts (December 2009)
The Department of Health is consulting on “Quality Accounts”, a mandatory reporting mechanism that will be introduced for NHS and foundation trusts from April 2010.
Care Quality Commission consultation: mental health strategy (September 2009)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is developing a strategy for its work on mental health over the next three to five years. This paper represents Age Concern and Help the Aged’s response to the questions asked in their consultation.
Response to the Marmot Review consultation (August 2009)
Professor Sir Michael Marmot has been asked to advise the Secretary of State for Health on the future development of a health inequalities strategy in England post-2010.
Developing general practice, listening to patients (May 2009)
The British Medical Association (BMA) has launched a nationwide consultation encouraging GPs to talk to their patients about services and reflect on innovations and barriers to improvement.
Fairer Contributions Guidance (April 2009)
The Age Concern and Help the Aged response to the Department of Health consultation on the proposals for the way individuals in receipt of personal budgets are assessed and charged for a financial contribution.
Tomorrow’s Doctors: A draft for consultation (March 2009)
The Age Concern and Help the Aged response to the General Medical Council's standards for undergraduate medical education.
NHS Next Stage Review (July 2008)
The Help the Aged submission produced in close collaboration with members of the British Geriatric Society and represents a summary of our views on the extent to which the NHS Next Stage Review appears to be responding to the needs of older people.
Draft UK Vision Strategy (June 2008)
The Help the Aged response to the UK Vision Strategy, a VISION2020 UK initiative, led by the RNIB, to develop a unified plan for action on all issues relating to sight loss and eye health, across the four countries of the UK.
Social Value Judgements (March 2008)
Principles for the development of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence(NICE) guidance.
Health Inequalities (January 2008)
Inquiry by the Health Select Committee into health inequalities.
NHS Next Stage Review (January 2008)
The Help the Aged consultation response, setting out our vision for how the NHS should accommodate the needs of an ageing population.
Regulations for Local Involvement Networks (LINks) (December 2007)
Commissioning for Health and Well-being (April 2007)
A New Outcomes Framework for Performance Assessment of Adult Social Care (October 2006)
National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care in England (September 2006)
Response to the Government's proposals for continuing care and NHS-funded care.
Your Health, Your Care, Your Say (November 2005)
Help the Aged response to the three consultation questions posed by the Department of Health concerning the new white paper.
Equal dignity and worth? (October 2005)
Response to the Healthcare Commission on older people, human rights and the healthcare system.
Dental charge regulations (September 2005)
Help the Aged response to the new NHS dental charges proposed for 2006.
Assessment for improvement (February 2005)
Response to the Healthcare Commission consultation on future healthcare assessment, the integration of human rights and equality legislation, and the impact on local communities.
Health Select Committee - Continuing Care (February 2005)
Submission to the Health Select Committee inquiry into NHS Continuing Care, including eligibility requirements, information, and a recommendation for free personal care.
Health Select Committee - Continuing Care (February 2005)
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Reports
Pain in older people (November 2008)
A report highlighting the issue of pain in older people by exploring older people’s experiences of living and coping with persistent pain and reviewing the literature on pain in older people. It aims to raise awareness, challenge current beliefs and promote the necessary action. The research was conducted with two focus groups of older people and interviews with individual older people.
The Challenge of Dignity in Care (September 2007)
This report is Help the Aged's contribution to what we hope will be a determined and sustained drive to raise standards of care and behaviour. It is our own Dignity Challenge.
Listening to Older People: Opening the door for Older People to Explore End of Life Issues (April 2006)
This report describes findings from a collaborative venture between Help the Aged and a team of researchers from the Universities of Sheffield and Nottingham to run four listening events around the UK. These aimed to offer older people the opportunity to express their views about the end of life, while also supporting them with advice and information to help meet their concerns. Foreword by Professor Ian Philp.
Planning for Choice in End-of-life Care: Educational guide (March 2006)
This guide was produced following a series of listening events and focus groups with older people in the subject of end of life care. The guide was revised in response to participants’ comments and the issues they raised. It has been designed to be read and discussed in small groups to raise awareness about advance care planning amongst older people.
Best Foot Forward: Older People and Footcare (August 2005)
This report summarises key findings from research we commissioned to University of Plymouth in conjunction with University College Northampton, to investigate the claims that many older people’s needs are currently unmet by NHS podiatry services and explore new ways to meet these needs.
The Help the Aged report Dying in Older Age (2005) is available from the Help the Aged website. This is a summary of the full report, End of Life Care (2005), published by the Policy Press.
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Articles
Decision on Alzheimer's drugs funding provokes fury (July 2006)
Older people and carers affected by Alzheimer's disease have reacted with anger and bewilderment at a decision by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) not to fund drug treatments for people in the early or late stages of the disease in England or Wales. (Policy Update)
Government report prioritises dignity in future plans for older people - May 2006
The Department of Health has set out its plans in the next phase of the ten-year National Service Framework for Older People. The report sets out the priorities for the next five years, grouping them under three main headings: dignity in care, joined-up care, and healthy ageing. (Policy Update)
New dental charging system begins in April - March 2006
On 1 April 2006 a new system of NHS dental charges comes into force, designed to replace the confusing system of dental charges. (Policy Update)
Improvements in NHS dental services deemed vital for older people - January 2006
A new report published by the British Society of Gerontology has demonstrated the need to improve NHS dental services to provide care for an ageing population. (Policy Update)
Guidelines on NHS treatment to rule out age discrimination - January 2006
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) laid down a set of principles in its final report, on the final report on social values judgement, that should help to ensure that it does not discriminate against older people. (Policy Update)
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