Headlines, PublicNet: 6 March, 2014

A fundamental shift is urgently needed in the delivery of health and care to meet the challenges of a rapidly ageing society, say the authors of a new report from The King’s Fund.

The report, Making our health and care systems fit for an ageing population, argues that health and care services have failed to keep up with dramatic demographic changes, which will see one in five people in England over the age of 65 by 2030. It finds that transforming services for older people will require a fundamental shift towards care co-ordinated around individual needs rather than single diseases, and that prioritises prevention and support for maintaining independence.

The authors identify individual components of care that need to improve with goals which include improving collaboration between the NHS and social care to ensure that patients can leave hospital promptly once their treatment is complete, with good support available in the community.

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