The British Geriatrics Society (BGS) hosted a roundtable on June 20, 2024, to discuss transforming care for older people, following themes from the 2023 Chief Medical Officer's (CMO) report and the BGS's "Joining the Dots" blueprint.
The event included senior representatives from NHS England, medical Royal Colleges, professional membership organisations, including the Homecare Association, think tanks, and charities.
Professor Sir Chris Whitty and Professor Sir Steve Powis (NHS England’s National Medical Director) gave a presentation about the CMO’s report .
Key discussions included the need to reorganise health services to address multiple conditions rather than single diseases, emphasising prevention and public health. Participants highlighted the importance of supporting older adults in maintaining health, addressing social determinants of health, and ensuring consistent and quality care across regions. They agreed there is an opportunity now to change the way older people are cared for.
The roundtable stressed the necessity of integrating services across primary, secondary, and social care, and the role of technology and data in optimising care.
Emerging themes included workforce shortages, and the lack of availability of staff in rural and coastal areas, the importance of MDTs and need for generalist skills, better use of data and technology, and the integration of health and social care.
The report concluded with ten specific recommendations, such as setting training targets for the workforce, making workforce data public, and ensuring long-term, sustainable social care solutions. The event underscored the urgency of implementing known solutions to improve healthcare for older people, thus benefiting the entire health system.
