Exclusive: Strategy for older people to cross all government departments

The government is to develop a strategy for older people that
will set shared objectives across all central government
departments, Community Care has learned, writes Derren
Hayes.

It is likely the strategy, which community care minister Stephen
Ladyman said could be in place by the end of the year, will outline
a broad set of objectives which all departments and ministers will
sign up to and promote.

The objectives will probably be on similar lines to those for
children outlined in the recent green paper, and be based around
insuring all polices on older people have well-being at their core
and promote independence and choice in the services they
receive.

Asked about the strategy at a conference on improving older
people’s services in Kent this week, Ladyman said: “I
didn’t know it was public knowledge.”

He said it wouldn’t be appropriate to comment on something
that hadn’t been announced to parliament, but admitted that
ministers were trying to ensure services were joined up at a
national level.

“We are expecting you – councils and NHS bodies
– to form partnerships more and more and work closer
together. So the very least we in government should be doing should
be making changes to make cross departmental working easier,“
he added.

Increasingly the view is being taken that improving older
people’s health and care involves more than just the
Department of Health and Office of the Deputy Prime Minister,
Ladyman added.

However, he said discussions on integrating older people’s
services across government departments were still ongoing, and that
no decisions had yet been made on the final shape of the
strategy.

*  For detailed reports from the conference see next
week’s edition of Community Care.