An ageing population is a global phenomenon that brings increased pressures on health services across the world. People in the UK are living longer, but many are living with one or more long-term medical conditions, and for a significant number, advancing age brings frailty.

 

The NHS is one of the world leaders in providing healthcare for the ageing population.                    

 

Its leading principals are: 

• To support the older people remain healthy for as long as possible and better enable them to live and manager long term medical conditions and whenever possible keep them out of the hospital. 

• To acknowledging that older people often do need acute hospital admission, social care or rehabilitation after a spell of illness; that they will sometimes move into nursing or residential homes; and that support, choice and control towards the end of life are as important to them as they are to younger people with a terminal illness. 

• To recognise that older people with a number of conditions and want to be treated as an individual who needs coordinated, person-centred care rather than as a collection of diseases.

• To deliver this health and social care needs to be an integrated pathway that supports the whole person and not just the condition. 

 

Programme Overview

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This Programme will be based on the principals of Safe, Compassionate care for Frail Older People using integrated care pathways. The programme will focus on integrated care allowing the observer to follow a patients journey within the healthcare system from been supported in their own home to admission to an acute hospital, the inpatient experience, management and implementation of a discharge plan to the support on discharge within local community hospitals, rehab centres and nursing homes. The programme will have particular emphases on End of Life Care and Hospice Care. 

 

Programme Objectives

 

• To introduce and give participants a basic understanding of the structure and functions of the NHS 

• The participant will have a good understanding of the NHS strategy and operation delivery of Safe, Compassionate cares for Frail Older People using integrated care pathways. 

• The participant will have experienced a variety of placements both within the host hospitals and the wider health community 

• The participants will have gained knowledge and insight on key themes relating to caring for the older person through study days and clinical placements. 

• The participants will be able to evaluate a positive learning experience that meets all their needs 

 

 

Programme Evaluation

 

A robust evaluation of the programme will take place. This will involve a written evaluation from both the participant’s perspective and the host participant’s perspectives. There will also be a face to face evaluation session at the presentation study day. 

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