Reshaping Care Engagement Summary Report
Eastwood House, Giffnock
2 August 2010
As part of the public engagement process, local partnerships were offered the
opportunity of hosting a Local Engagement session to which Scottish Government
officials would attend and record the discussion. A public meeting was held from
2pm to 4pm in East Renfrewshire on 2 August and was attended by 53 people. The
session included representatives from the Community Health Partnership, Befriender
Project, Carers Associations, Housing Associations, Retail Trust, Princess Royal
Trust, RAHM Brighter Futures, and an MSP and members of the public.
The panel were: June Findlater from East Renfrewshire Council, Tim Eltringham
from the East Renfrewshire CHP and Mike Martin from the Scottish Government.
The panel asked a series of questions based on five broad themes. Below is a
summarised discussion from the meeting under the broad headings of the questions
posed.
Views from those attending:
1.
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Do you have confidence in the care system now?
It is good that older people get to have their feet looked after, every three
months as problems with feet are prevalent.
But – is every three months enough? It should be more often as toenails
grow quickly and can hinder walking.
One lady applied to have her feet looked at with a view to having toenails cut,
and upon applying was asked “can you reach your feet?” When she replied
yes, she was told she should then be able to do it herself.
Many people are very happy with their current level of care however with all
the speculation around budget cuts what will the future hold? Will it be
sustainable? Will there be means testing?
One lady helped herself by installing a stairlift despite the fact she could
barely afford it she knows it will help her to remain at home in the future.
It can sometimes feel like a nanny state and people are dictated to rather than
given choice.
Retail Trust is a marvellous place. There are cottages, flats, a communal
green, community hall – and there is help nearby if needed. This sort of
housing set up is very good.
2.
What changes would you like to see to care and support for older people
in future?
 Knowing who and where to contact is a very important factor. Information
should be more readily available.
 Each household is bombarded by junk mail yet we don’t seem to get the
information that we really need.
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Even when you are in the social care system it is hard to get information. For
instance when deciding on a care home it would be useful to know about the
existence of Care Commission reports.
Many older people will only put their trust in their own GP and look to them to
provide the necessary help and information that they need. If they can send a
letter saying you need a flu jab, they can send a letter saying all manner of
things. This is an option for getting information out to older people.
Alternatively, there should be a paid professional in each GP surgery whose
sole role is to provide information to people, older and younger.
There could also be someone who works for the council whose role is to visit
older people and give them information about what options they have.
Patient confidentiality can sometimes mean that the family do not find out how
serious an older family member is until much further down the line. In some
situations confidentiality should be waived.
Bring back screening for over 75s rather than wait for acute problems to arise.
An annual assessment for this age group would help to keep people healthy
and potentially out of the system.
We probably couldn’t afford to resource the screening of over 75s across
Scotland and in any case younger age groups can very often be in need of
just as much care.
We cant however be seen to coerce people into the system and in fact this
can be seen as elderly abuse.
In every town and village across Scotland there are pensioners’ clubs. If
social work staff went out to these clubs to tell people what help is available
they would have a better understanding of the system.
Unpaid carers need to be equal partners with professional staff when deciding
on what is appropriate care.
In many situations Power of Attorney does not give family members enough
power and the difference between Power of Attorney and Guardianship is not
made clear to people.
Dementia should be recognised as an illness that is covered by the NHS.
A deaf lady complained that there was no loop hearing system in a public
meeting place.
Should GPs be more intrusive when it comes to asking questions of older
people, instead of being more careful. This may lead to picking up on any
problems earlier leading to better health.
Older People are often too proud to ask for help, they do not realise it is their
right to receive it. They need to be of the mindset that asking for help from
social services does not make them a failure.
To provide a service, must communicate with the user and find out exactly
what they want – should not just assume they know what is best.
There is too much red tape, too much bureaucracy in getting people into care.
There needs to be less - let the people who want to help, help, don’t make
them jump through hoops.
The benefits system needs to be looked at - why should people who have
saved all their lives pay for care when others that have spent everything they
have and get everything for free.
3.
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4.
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5.
Who should be responsible for the costs of care?
A lot of older people with a small pension would struggle to pay for care. One
audience member stated they paid for most things out of their own pocket, but
when they needed, and asked for, a specialised toilet, it was provided, but
followed by a bill for £900. Why do services keep bleeding older people dry?
Is consideration being given to what happens regarding the cost of care in
other European countries? Many other countries ask individuals to contribute
more and as a result have a better care system.
When Richard Branson set up the National Lottery he said we should put the
money into the NHS – can we not do that now?
At present there is a huge waste of Government resources and there needs to
be honesty about where the money is being spent.
Unused and unnecessary pharmaceuticals are costing the NHS millions which
could be invested into other services. This needs addressed urgently. GPs
issue far too many repeat prescriptions to people who may not need to take
medication any longer.
Who should be responsible for care and support?
The voluntary sector should not be responsible for care. Instead, if unpaid
carers are to be primary carers, then the state needs to be there to provide
back-up, to support them.
Many people over 60 are already providing unpaid care to their spouse or
other family member however this is taking its toll on their own health.
Direct payments are seen to be too bureaucratic and add to the burden.
There can also be a long wait before finances become available.
Someone said that their father had money all his life but didn’t spend it. If he
received direct payments he wouldn’t have used that to pay for care either.
It doesn’t matter who provides the care, what is important is that the older
person is given choice and all the information they might need to make an
informed decision on where their care should be. This choice should include
options on the NHS and private options.
Volunteering is not the answer, but it certainly does help, whether it be
befriending on a 1 to 1 basis or in a group setting.
What type of care do you prefer?
Would prefer to stay at home, but the key point here is personalisation.
Currently happy in own home with adaptations doing their bit to suit changing
needs. Care homes cannot necessarily promise such personally defined
care.
 The older population are very proud and asking for help can sometimes not
be easy for them. There is also the fear that they could be put in a care home
if they ask for help as it is sometimes the easy option.
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