Older people in the North West should get more help to live independently

THOUSANDS of older people in the North West could be spared traumatic hospital stays and costly long term care if they were given more help to live independently in their own homes, according to a new report.

The National Housing Federation's "In your lifetime" report warned that older people often struggled to access the support they needed to continue to live at home - increasing the risk that they will end up in hospital or a care home in the long run.

In the North West around 383,149 people aged over 65 in England need help with at least one routine task and this number is continuing to rise rapidly.

By investing in preventative measures rather than caring for older people only when they become ill or immobile has saved the taxpayer £1.8bn a year. But specified funding on preventative services for older people has fallen over the last three years rather than increased - despite the savings to the public purse.

In the North West, the number of people aged 65 and over is expected to increase to 1,689,000 over the next 20 years, with the number of over 85s doubling during the same period.

But despite the rapidly ageing demographic and the huge need for specialised housing and support for older people, the options available remain limited, the report found.

Housing associations provide homes for almost one million older people, and are ideally placed to deliver tailored care and support services for older people in their local community.

But the Federation, which represents England's housing associations, said its members faced a number of barriers which limited the number and range of services and housing they could offer to older people.

Investment should be focused on preventing hospital admissions and reducing the number of older people who need to be cared for in nursing homes, the report argues.

Services such as adapting older people's homes to make them easier to use, regular visits from a support worker and personal alarm systems which allow users to alert a support worker when they need help are just some of the simple measures which can help people to remain in their own homes.

But currently the system fails to balance preventative measures with acute services meaning that too frequently older people only receive support when they end up in hospital. People who need to be cared for in a nursing home are likely to remain there once admitted.

The average annual fee for a single room in a nursing home is £35,100. In the North West, the number of people in residential care is meanwhile expected to rise to nearly 80,086 by 2025.

And the number of emergency re-admissions for people aged 75 in English hospital rose by 69% between 1999 and 2007, with an estimated 23,952 older people admitted to hospital year in the North West every year. Preventative measures could cut these figures significantly, the Federation says. This kind of support also helps boost the health, quality of life and well being of older people.

But the level and range of support currently available for older people varies wildly across the country, and needs to become more uniformly available, the reports says.

All older people should be able to access support in their local area, it says. And local housing strategies which set out how councils plan to meet housing needs in their areas should specifically address how the housing needs of older people will be met, it concludes.

Federation North West regional manager Sallie Bridgen said:- "All too often older people can only access care and support services once they reach crisis point when they end up in hospital or in a care home. By investing more widely in simple preventative measures which help older people live safely at home for as long as possible, the number of hospital admissions and care home places could be cut significantly as a result. This would ease the burden on the NHS, save billions of pounds to the public purse, and most importantly allow people to live where they want to be in their home."

Six Mersey NHS trusts pilot MoT-style checks for doctors

SIX Merseyside NHS trusts are at the forefront of new MoT-style checks for the UK's 231,000 doctors, it was announced today.

The trusts will assess how the scheme, known as revalidation, works in practice before it is rolled out across the country. Once fully implemented it will provide extra reassurance for patients that the doctor who is treating them is keeping up to date and has all the skills and competencies necessary to do a good job.

The trusts are:-

* Aintree University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
* Alder Hey Children's NHS Foundation Trust
* Mersey Care NHS Trust
* Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
* Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust
* Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust

They are one of 10 consortia taking part in the pilot programme nationally and the only one in the North West.

The revalidation scheme was agreed by the General Medical Council (GMC) and the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges following a government White Paper, Trust, Assurance and Safety, which detailed a programme for the reform of the regulation of healthcare professionals in the UK.

The scheme demands doctors are relicensed to practice every five years. Relicensing will be underpinned by mandatory annual reviews which will draw on a full range of performance measures such as prescribing habits, and feedback from patients and colleagues.

Specialist practitioners, including consultants, will also be required to show they still meet the particular standards relating to their area of practice under a second element know as recertification.

General practitioners, who are not included in the Merseyside consortia but in others nationally, will also be covered by the same system.

The scheme will be overseen at each hospital trust by a "responsible officer" who will ensure all elements of revalidation are implemented.

Mohsen Iskander, responsible officer and medical director at Southport and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust, said:- "Revalidation will not only become an important support mechanism for doctors in terms of their continuing professional development but benefit patients too by assuring and improving the quality of care."

SUBSTANTIAL HAUL OF SUSPECTED DRUGS SEIZED IN NORRIS GREEN

A substantial amount of suspected Class A drugs with a street value of around £200,000 in Norris Green on Tuesday, 26 January 2010 have been seized by Merseyside Police.  Officers from Merseyside Police executed a warrant under the Misuse of Drugs Act at an address on Swinbrook Green and recovered around 4kg of what is believed to be Heroin and Cocaine, following intelligence from the community during ongoing work to combat drug misuse and supply.  Following the warrant at the address on Swinbrook Green, carried out by officers from Operation Hawk, a 47 year old man was arrested was bailed pending further police enquiries.

DI Dave Whittle said:- "This is an excellent result and is a direct response to information we have received from residents about drug activities in the area. Merseyside Police is dedicated to combating drugs and crimes related to the drugs trade and this is an example of our determination in bringing to justice anyone involved in illegal activities. It also shows the importance of community intelligence in stamping out drug-related crime and we urge anyone with information about drug dealing in their area to come forward."

Anyone with information is asked to call Merseyside Police on:- 0151 777 4072 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on:- 0800 555 111.