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• Always starting with care driven by the person’s needs and personal goals.
• Care coordination that offers older people a single point of contact to guide them through an often complex system.
• Prioritising proactive and preventive care so that the health and care system is not structured around “short-term” reactive fixes but instead long-term solutions for helping people to maintain their independence where possible. This includes encouraging social interaction to help people to stay well, and out of hospital. 

Dr Mark Newbold, Chair, Commission on Improving Urgent Care for Older People, said:

“We have talked too much in the past about integrating the providers of services and not enough about integrating care around people. It is the coordination of personal care for individuals that really matters. It is unacceptable to expect older people and carers to navigate a very complex system.

“Older people do need to access A&E at times, and the best hospitals tailor their service to meet their needs. But all too often, older people are forced to go to A&E because the alternative services that would help them be cared for at home are not available at the time they need them.

“We want to help people to stay well both mentally and physically and receive care that responds to care needs and personal wishes. Achieving this is better for both the individual and the wider care system.”

The report includes compelling evidence of the success of initiatives across the country that have improved care and reduced pressure on the health service but says this needs to happen nationally. Changing the health service from delivering short-term fixes for older people to helping them to keep well demands strong local leadership. We should back dynamic leaders to join up care while ensuring that outcome and performance measures allow local leaders to focus on individual needs, delivered by the whole health and care system.

The following innovative examples of integrated care were examined as part of the report: 

• By using a geriatric assessment team, Sheffield Teaching Hospital has cut down hospital stay days from 5.5 days to 1.1 days.
• Introducing a care coordinator function commissioned by Age UK in Cornwall has resulted in a 31 per cent reduction in all hospital admissions and a 26 per cent reduction in non-elective admissions.
• By providing a home based emergency assessment and treatment service, North East London Foundation Trust and London ambulance service have saved around £108,000 by avoiding ambulance trips and reducing the need for A&E admission and assessment.

Notes to editors

• Read the full report. 
• The Independent Commission on Improving Urgent Care for Older People was set up in March 2015 and is chaired by Dr Mark Newbold. 18 specialists have been involved in the commission across the health and care sector looking at new approaches to integrating care for older people. A full list of the representatives who together produced the Commission’s work is available on our website.
• The NHS Confederation established and supported the Commission. The NHS Confederation represents 85 per cent of NHS providers and commissioners. The organisation has nearly 500 members across health and social care, including hospitals, community and mental health providers, ambulance trusts and independent sector organisations providing NHS care. It is the only membership body to bring together and speak on behalf of the whole NHS.
• A full list of NHS Confederation press releases and statements can be accessed at its media centre.
• For media queries, contact Mike Foster (Senior Media Officer - 020 7799 8671 / mike.foster@nhsconfed.org) or Sarah Ghabina (Media Manager - 020 7799 8637 / sarah.ghabina@nhsconfed.org). For out-of-hours media enquiries, please call the Duty Press Officer on 07880 500 726.