The Royal College of Physicians, British Geriatrics Society and Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh have written to Lord Darzi as he undertakes his review of health and social care for the new government.
The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (RCPE), Royal College of Physicians (RCP) and the British Geriatrics Society (BGS), representing thousands of healthcare professionals across the UK, have written to Lord Darzi who is undertaking a review of health and social care for the new government, to offer support and call for:
- A plan to ‘fix’ healthcare cannot be developed in isolation from improvements to the wider care system. The NHS and social care systems are implicitly and inextricably linked.
- An evidence-based approach to the care of older people with frailty. This could transform service delivery across our NHS. Frailty affects around 10% of those aged over 65, and up to half those aged over 85.
- Training a specialist medical workforce to provide effective care for older people with frailty.
- The recruitment of enough nurses and therapists specialising in care of older people to deliver effective evidence-based multidisciplinary approaches to care in people’s homes, in the community, and in hospitals.