The Healthcare Commission, Audit Commission and Commission for Social Care Inspection have jointly published Living well in later life: a review of progress against the National Service Framework for Older People. The report assesses progress five years into the National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People, which is a ten year plan. The report found that services have improved since March 2001, but this progress was not consistent across the country and improvement in some areas has been slow. None of the communities inspected had reached all Government-set milestones to enable them to meet the standards in the NSF. The report found improvements in:
- how public services are addressing age discrimination
- access to quality hospital care for elderly stroke sufferers
- support being offered to older people living at home independently
- the smoking cessation services offered to older people
The report also found evidence of:
- a lack of consultation with older people when planning and commissioning public services
- a lack of dignity and respect in the way older people are treated while in hospital
- insufficient access to mental health services for older people