NHS helps older people to improve health

The NHS is developing new ways to help older people maintain and improve their health and avoid hospital admission under a new healthcare programme being piloted in nine English primary care trusts. Interim results of the pilot sites have been welcomed today by the Department of Health.

Evercare is a healthcare improvement programme developed in the US to improve the quality of care for vulnerable older people. It involves the use of specially-trained nurses to identify and monitor at-risk older people and so that treatment can be given before a visit to hospital is necessary. In the US, Evercare has reduced hospital admissions by fifty per cent, with more care being provided in the community instead.

Early findings show that:

• The development of a new advanced primary nurse role can lead to better co-ordination of pro-active care of older patients and better collaboration with GPs and geriatric consultants
• Better monitoring and education of older patient populations means high-risk patients can be identified and treated before hospital admission becomes necessary
• The work is already addressing the needs of vulnerable older people in the community, using primary care - local doctors and nurses - as the main way of delivering care

The Evercare pilot programme began in April 2003 and will run until August 2004. Today’s report gives a mid-term review of the programme’s progress. It will be assessed after its completion and results will available early next year.