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This programme, known as the Brighter Futures Group,
supports older people to stay independent in the community and
reduce avoidable admissions into hospital and care homes. A
particular target group is people aged 75 years and over, living
alone, on low income and in poor housing.
The areas currently covered by the programme are
Ashford,
Maidstone,
Tunbridge Wells,
Tonbridge and Malling, and
Sevenoaks.
Initiated by Kent County Council the founder members of the
partnership are: Kent Adult Social Services Directorate; Age
Concern; British Red Cross; Voluntary Action West Kent; Mid Kent
Council for Voluntary Services (CVS); Ashford, Malling Area,
Maidstone, Tonbridge & Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks &
Edenbridge Volunteer Centres; West Kent Extra; Ashford, Maidstone
Weald and South West Kent Primary Care Trusts, and Kent &
Medway Strategic Health Authority.
The programme is funded from the Government's 'Invest to Save
Budget' to the sum of £1.39m over the 3 years 2005-2008. A further
£465,400 'match funding' will be made available by the partnership
to complement this grant.
A range of preventative initiatives that are innovative,
person-centred and volunteer-delivered will be developed through
the following service models:
- Medication support
- Supported discharge from hospital
- Practical and emotional support with everyday living tasks;
signposting and navigation to formal/informal services in the local
community
- Accompanied transport service
- Advice and support with technology
- Befriending
- Postural stability classes
- 'Pop-in' day services
The programme's success will lead to:
- increased community participation and increased independence
for older people
- reduced use by older people of emergency hospital care and of
admissions to care homes; this will release resources for
investment in community services
- an increased number of active older people as trained
volunteers carrying out a wider range of activities with less
active older people; this will have a positive effect on their
quality of life, well-being, health and longevity and foster a
sense of neighbourhood and community spirit.
- an innovative working relationship between all the partners
that can be used to improve services elsewhere
- a more effective and efficient service due to collaboration and
sharing of resources.
- evidence about the economic benefit of voluntary and community
preventative work
A team called the Brighter Futures Group Programme Board has
been formed to steer the programme and monitor its development
against an action plan agreed with the Treasury. The Board consists
of equal membership from the statutory and voluntary sectors and
includes a volunteer champion with a lead role to engage older
people and their carers. The programme will benefit from an
evaluation by the London School of Economics.
This is all in line with Government aspirations to keep older
people healthy, to provide social and health care outside of a
hospital and to promote both 'volunteering' among active older
people and an enhanced role for the voluntary and community sector
in the delivery of public services.
The Brighter Futures programme builds on the work of the
national Innovation Forum Health Project that has specific targets
around reducing emergency hospital care of people aged 75 and over.
(The Innovation Forum is a national programme led by KCC and
supported by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, the
Department of Health and the Local Government Association). It also
supports the recent Department of Work & Pensions/Local
Government Association "Link-Age" strategy; restructuring local
services around the needs of older people. Further, it is an
exemplar of Compact; strengthening relationships between the
statutory and voluntary and community sectors.
The targets form a shared priority with the Department of Health
(DH) and will contribute towards Kent's targets in its Local Area
and Public Service Agreements. |