Lisa's Blog

Recommendations from the Living Well At Home Inquiry now in!
29 July 2011

Fantastic to see so much of what we believe in represented in the recommendations published by the All Party Parliamentary Group last week! Looking forward to seeing the UK Government's response to the report now.

It’s great to see the critical issue of helping the elderly to live independently at home back at the top of the political agenda last week. We are very comfortable with the recommendations put forward to the UK Government last week by the All Party Parliamentary Group’s Living Well at Home Inquiry but don't imagine implementing all this will come easy.

The report indicates a general consensus on the need for a national strategy, with local authorities at the heart of delivery. It also notes the importance of improved advice and information services for older people and their families; the opportunity for equity release products; shows support for Home Improvement Agencies and handyperson services; and highlights the need for joint guidelines on good practice for deliving a customer-centric, personal choice approach - much of which we have already seen in recent Scottish Government papers. It also urges progressing adoption of recommendations from earlier reports such as HAPPI and Lifetime Homes, Lifetime Neighbourhoods.

The report acknowledges the need for more flexible funding systems to overcome reduced grant funding and increasing demand. It also calls for better working together of social care, health and housing sectors.  It's on this final point that I am most concerned: the majority of the APPG’s recommendations rest on the ability of these sectors to work better together, yet they've been trying to foster a more inclusive relationship for ten years now - and during a period of relative economic strength - and here we are still!

However, it really is very encouraging to see such alignment across the political parties and in both Scotland and the UK. I really look forward to hearing the UK Government’s response to the APPG’s report – and to hearing your views: lisa@rubyss.co.uk.