Walsall's Older People's Strategy

Walsall is committed to developing a whole systems approach. It is acknowledged that only 15% of older people are in regular contact with health and social care services. These tend to be the most vulnerable older people and most strategic structures and strategies focus on the needs of this group. The whole systems approach is an attempt to look at the needs of all older people and not just the 15% in contact with services.

The move to a whole systems approach is being driven by national strategies that emphasise the need to provide services for all older people. The expectations of older people themselves are changing and they want a range of services which help them to remain independent. The growth in the number of older people in the population is also driving the change to a whole systems approach.

The whole systems strategy seeks to develop a multi agency partnership, which can address the needs of all older people in Walsall and wherever possible slow down the ‘decline ‘of individuals into greater dependency. The whole systems approach is based on the belief that by working together agencies not currently seen as services for older people can contribute to the well being of older people and delay the point at which they will need social care intervention

Older people were involved in developing this whole systems strategy through a series of meetings and workshops. These meetings were used to establish what was important to older people, what services they wanted and how existing services should change. An outcomes framework was then developed based on what they identified as the key issues.

Contact:

Mandy Winwood
Strategic Partnerships Manager
Social Care and Inclusion
Civic Centre
Darwall Street
Walsall
West Midlands
WS1 1RG

Telephone 01922 658221
Email winwoodm@walsall.gov.uk

This page was last updated on 23 September 2008