Share your views on the future of health and social care services
Over the last 12 months, ELHSCP has been engaging with local communities, providers, and staff to identify, develop and prioritise suggestions that could support the delivery of older people’s services for generations to come.
We are currently in the middle of our 12-week engagement and consultation period, and we want to hear from you!
Background information
We recommend downloading the background engagement document which provides information on the wider context of the Planning Older People's Services project and information gathering, analysis and engagement process to date.
Your feedback
Having read the background information, we would like to here your comments on the four identified priorities:
Priority 1: Review palliative and end of life care
This priority indicates a request to review and enhance the options available within palliative care, so people can plan and consider their preferences for living with their long-term health condition and / or end-of-life care and treatment.
Priority 2: Polypharmacy reviews
Polypharmacy basically means 'many medicines'. Polypharmacy review, involves specialist teams reviewing an individual's medication to make sure they are taking the right medicine, or the right reasons. This priority indicates an opportunity for a more coordinated approach to polypharmacy reviews undertaken in East Lothian. An ‘invest to save’ approach could see an increase in polypharmacy reviews aiming to reduce potential harm from medicines in older patients, improving quality of life, reducing medicines burden for patients, reducing avoidable hospital admissions, and ensuring medicines are used cost effectively across East Lothian.
Priority 3: Intermediate Care Services
Intermediate Care Services covers a wide range of services that either helps to prevent hospital admissions, or a service that supports a person to return home from hospital, an illness or injury.
This priority provides an opportunity to remain committed to developing intermediate care services to facilitate care closer to home and ensure that East Lothian’s population can remain within their own communities for as long as possible. Provision of efficient and effective intermediate care is also vital to alleviate pressure on hospital and care home beds.
Priority 4: Use of technology
We all use technology in our daily lives. This priority identifies an opportunity for enhancing the use of technology and increasing digital choice in order to support the development of efficient and sustainable services for older people, that are agile and responsive to the changing needs of the East Lothian population.
How to get involved
ELHSCP is looking to engage with a wide range of people, who have an interest in or may be directly affected by the delivery of older people’s services in the future. This includes people currently making use of our services, their family members and/or carers, health and social care staff, community groups, third sector organisations, providers, partner organisations and the public who live and work in East Lothian and may require access to older people’s services in the future.
Complete the online survey: www.eastlothian.gov.uk/pops-consultation
From the website you can review the identified priorities in more detail and make comments on the engagement process to date, which is outlined in a presentation document.
Send your feedback via email: engagement-hscp@eastlothian.gov.uk
You can also send your comments to us directly by using the email address above.
Further information
You can find further information, progress reports and community updates on our dedicated webpages: www.eastlothian.gov.uk/elhscp/pops