We tackle loneliness, get older people active and support people to stay independent for longer.
Our work in 2015/16
An estimated 4 million older people in the UK have a limiting longstanding illness and stand to gain from a much more integrated health and care approach. This equates to 40 per cent of all people aged 65+.
We work with local Age UKs, NHS Trusts, Clinical Commissioning Groups, local authorities and voluntary organisations to test innovative new health and care services. We focus on seamless integration between health and care and the full participation of local voluntary sector and community groups.
Through restricted grants, some of which other organisations give to us to use locally, we fund local Age UKs to deliver services that respond to local needs.
We support people with long-term health conditions
Our Person-Centred Integrated Care programme is designed to support those with multiple long-term health conditions to live healthier, happier lives. The programme enables older people to achieve their goals with the support of a Personal Independence Coordinator and volunteers.
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Early results show the programme is having a significant impact on the lives of participants, and we have received £750,000 in Big Lottery funding to launch five new project partnerships.
We help to improve winter hospital discharge
We worked on the Emergency Care Improvement Programme with the aim of helping more older people to leave hospital when fit to do so, helping ease the pressure on winter bed shortages in the process. We provided practical support to lead to safer, faster and better care for older people in the 20 hospital trusts with the worst figures for ‘delayed transfers of care’.
Arranging care after leaving hospital
We assess health and social care services
We help to deliver the Experts by Experience service for the Care Quality Commission. Experts by Experience are people who have used services themselves and take part in the inspection of health and social care services.
In 2015/16, Age UK’s Experts took part in 3,382 inspections across England. We recently secured a new contract to deliver Experts by Experience in the Care Quality Commission’s new central region in partnership with Choice Support.
How Experts by Experience works