Older people and poor care: a human rights issue

In this blog Helen Wildbore, Policy and Programmes Manager at the British Institute of Human Rights, shares some key points from her speech to the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Ageing and Older People’s inquiry on human rights on 24th April. Helen shared the platform with Dr Eileen Burns, President of the British Geriatrics Society.

Why is poor care a human rights issue? At the British Institute of Human Rights (BIHR), we work with people at the sharp end of public services and people placed in vulnerable situations, including older people. When things go ‘wrong’ and people receive poor care, their first thought isn’t necessarily their rights.

But human rights can be a powerful tool

Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty – an update on reform

Caroline Cooke is Policy Manager at BGS and Premila Fade is BGS’s End of Life Care Lead.  Here they explain the background to, and significance of, the report published by the Law Commission, “Mental Capacity and Deprivation of Liberty” on 17 March 2017.

What are DoLS?  The Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) are a set of protections for adults who lack the mental capacity to consent to deprivation of their liberty by, for example, admission either to hospital or a care home for treatment or care.  They were introduced as part of the Mental Health Act 2007.  The intention behind their introduction was to ensure that no-one is deprived of liberty without good reason, and the right of legal challenge is built into the authorisation process.  The idea was to close the so called ‘Bournewood gap’ whereby adults admitted informally (i.e. not via the Mental Health Act) did not have an automatic right to appeal.  The European Court of Human Rights (HL v United Kingdom) ruled that this lack of safeguards was a breach of article 5 ‘The right to Liberty’ of the Human Rights Act.

What is an STP? Do you know what is in your area’s Sustainability and Transformation Plan?

Caroline Cooke is BGS’s new Policy Manager. She joined us at the beginning of June. Here she explains the significance of STPs for health and care services in England.  

The constant change and the number of new initiatives in the NHS can be bewildering if you haven’t been directly involved at the start.  Or if you have been involved you may be experiencing a mixture of excitement, frustration or cautious optimism at the prospect of new ways of working that are ultimately aimed at delivering fully integrated health and care services. Staying up to date and engaged with the plans that NHS England is driving forward is key if you want to have an influence on them.

Musculoskeletal conditions: the case for better data

Musculoskeletal conditions are a major contributor to multimorbidity and are more likely to develop with age. Amy Forbes, Policy Officer at Arthritis Research UK explores the health data issues around musculoskeletal conditions.

Musculoskeletal conditions have a substantial impact on individuals, the health service and society as a whole. A musculoskeletal condition can hinder someone’s ability to do normal activities, significantly affecting their quality of life and limiting independence: common symptoms include pain, stiffness and loss of mobility and dexterity.

Musculoskeletal conditions are a major contributor to multimorbidity. They are the single biggest cause of disability in the UK, accounting for 30.5% of all years lived with disability. Around 20% of the general population consult their GP about a musculoskeletal problem each year, and 82% of people with osteoarthritis have at least one other long term condition like cardiovascular disease, hypertension or depression.

General election manifestos: how does each party measure up on care for older people?

Ed Gillett is Communications & PR Manager at the BGS. Following the publication of each major political party’s election manifestos, Ed assesses how they compare to the BGS’ own pre-election call on health and social care for older people.

Last week saw the publication of the Labour and Liberal Democrat election manifestos, following hard on the heels of those from the Conservatives, Greens and Ukip. We now have a clearer picture of each party’s vision for health and social care.

But how seriously is each party taking the issue of excellent care for older people, and how do they measure up to the Society’s own pre-election policy work, in which we highlight the six key decisions facing an incoming government?

The NHS England Five Year Forward View: A crucial document for our speciality, for the care of older people and for Health and Care Services in England.

David Oliver is President of the BGS, Visiting Fellow at the King’s Fund and Consultant Geriatrician at the Royal Berkshire Hospital, Reading. In part 1 of a 2-part blog, he discusses how the NHS “Five Year Forward View” is important for people involved in the care of older people.

October 23^rd 2014 is memorable to me, as it’s my 23^rd wedding anniversary. It’s also now of significance to the rest of us, as the date that NHS England’s “Five Year Forward View” plan was published. I realise not many of you will have had the time or necessarily inclination to read it, though at only 39 pages it’s an easy canter.

I also know it hasn’t attracted much Twitter activity from fellow BGS members. But it’s a document which I suspect will have far reaching influence and implications for the services we all work in. These implications seem largely positive. Let me explain why.