DEPARTMENT FOR WORK
AND PENSIONS News Release (PENS 186/09) issued by COI News
Distribution Service on 8 April 2009
Local authorities
that join up their services for the elderly can improve their own
efficiency and bring real benefits to older people. This was one
of the conclusions of a series of pilot schemes run in eight local
authorities across England and Wales.
The LinkAge Plus pilot programme has brought local authorities
together with their partners in health, voluntary and community
sectors to find innovative ways to break down traditional barriers
and to join up services. Avoiding duplication of work and
improving provision has meant that older people are able to
access several services through a single access point.
The pilots have developed the capacity of individuals and
organisations to promote social inclusion and tackle isolation
among older people as well as improving access to services that
promote independence and well being.
Minister for Pensions and the Ageing Society Rt Hon Rosie
Winterton said: "This scheme shows that a little bit of
joined up working can make big difference and provide a better
service for older people. By putting older people at the centre of
how these services are delivered it shows how the services can be improved."
The pilots have tested different approaches to joining up
services and support for older people. They aimed to make it
easier to identify needs and simpler to locate and access the
services or activities to meet those needs. In most areas
additional services and activities have also been provided but the
emphasis has been on joining up what's already there.
The evaluation of the pilots found that:
* LinkAge Plus has focused on quality of life outcomes for older
people. This has led to people-centred, rather than organisational
or service-centred approaches to strategic commissioning and
operational procurement;
* The pilots made better use of existing services through
improving access to those services and increased the number and
range of older people benefiting from them;
* Joined-up or integrated services have resulted in greater
efficiency through reduced duplication.
* More effective processes have been developed by local
organisations to enable access to, and targeting of referrals for
information, advice and services.
* New organisations and preventative services have been created
to work with and for older people by partnerships of statutory,
third sector and private organisations.
Note to editors
1. This research is published as part of the DWP Research Series
Report 571 'LinkAge Plus: Capacity building - enabling and
empowering older people as independent and active citizens'
2. The authors are Martin Willis, director of INLOGOV, the
Institute of Local Government Studies, within the school of
Government and Society at the university of Birmingham and Robert
Dalziel a research fellow at INLOGOV. Both have worked with
Warwick Business School at University of Warwick for the purposes
of this evaluation.
3. This report is an interim assessment of the LinkAge Plus
approach and one of a series of reports focusing on key themes. It
is intended to be of use to local authorities and their partners
who are interested in improving the wellbeing of older people.
4. The report can be found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rrs-index.asp
5. Earlier reports referred to include 'LinkAge Plus:
Benefits for Older People'
6. http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/report_abstracts/rr_abstracts/rra_554.asp
and 'LinkAge Plus: Access to Information and Services for
Older People - the Joined Up Approach' is available at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/WP53.pdf).
7. The final evaluation reports including an assessment of the
cost effectiveness of Link Age Plus will be published in summer 2009.
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Website: http://www.dwp.gov.uk