We live in an ageing society where people are living longer and the balance of life is changing. For the first time, there are more people aged over 60 than children under 16 in the UK. Most older people can now look forward to many more years of healthy life after retirement than ever before. Our society is becoming more diverse. It expects more from public services. The make up of the older age group is beginning to reflect the first generation immigrants of the 1950s and the post-war baby boomers who, during the 1960s, redefined what it means to be young.
The shift in proportion, composition and attitudes of the older age group has profound implications for public services. We need to start taking action now to shape things for the better. Some councils and other agencies are beginning to take imaginative action in order to meet the challenges of the future - but for most, there is a long way to go.
We need a fundamental shift in the way we think about older people, from dependency and deficit towards independence and well-being. When they are asked, older people are clear about what independence means for them and what factors help them to maintain it. Older people value having choice and control over how they live their lives. Interdependence is a central component of older people's well-being; to contribute to the life of the community and for that contribution to be valued and recognised. They require comfortable, secure homes, safe neighbourhoods, friendships and opportunities for learning and leisure, the ability to get out and about, an adequate income, good, relevant information and the ability to keep active and healthy.
This report and the more detailed reports that accompany it set out the indicators of good performance. It is designed to help public bodies in developing a framework for local approaches to older people. We hope it will be useful for all those involved in delivering and planning the range of services older people use, including elected members and older people themselves. The comprehensive performance assessment for 2005 will assess the progress made and the impact of local authorities' activities on the well-being of older people. Additionally, the Audit Commission will continue to contribute with the Commission for Healthcare Audit and Inspection (CHAI) and the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) to the review of the National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People, in particular, the strand that will focus on the standard that promotes a healthy, active life.
Guidance on commissioning community equipment services
This guidance describes how health and social care agencies should commission community equipment services as part of wider strategies to support independence. They should be used in the absence of locally agreed standards.
Service commissioners and providers will also use the guidance:
- to examine and audit their own performance
- as a resource pack to help in developing commissioning standards and business cases to support the delivery of Government targets for the improvement of community equipment services