Agenda item

To receive evidence from Robert Edmonds.

A background DVD will be shown.

The panel received evidence from Robert Edmonds, Director, Age Concern Haringey.

Age Concern receives 60% of its funding from Statutory services including the TPCT and Adult Services.  Other funding streams include Neighbourhood Renewal Fund and the Big Lottery Fund.

Age Concern Haringey has 22 staff members and 100 volunteers.

An Age Concern DVD was shown illustrating the impact that joined up services can have on an older person’s life.

There is a belief that Haringey is making progress at a strategic level and that it is about joining up the dots.

The well-being and preventative approaches are to be welcomed.  However there are concerns that the 1% increase announced for Social Care in the Comprehensive Spending review is not in keeping with inflation.

Advantages of the voluntary and community sector organisations include the fact that people are aware of other people’s activity.  For example, they are likely to notice when someone who regularly attends a day centre does not arrive.

Reference to Annex 1 in ‘All Our Tomorrows’ policy document.  A New Direction in the Community model which places Older People at the centre.

Felt that more could be done across the partnership in terms of helping publicise services. For example Haringey Council advertises four drop in centres in the borough, where in reality there are more than fifteen available for people to attend.  Why are they not being jointly advertised?

Issue that Older People are still not necessarily being seen as participating citizens.

Reference to the Projects for Older People Projects funding from the Department of Health, noted that this will be ring fenced but details were not available at this time.

There are potentially great benefits to be gained by the Befriending Service.  68 people are currently involved in this.  Benefits also include:

A reduction in the risk of isolation

An increase in a person’s confidence

The benefits can often take 6-8 months before they begin to take effect.

Belief that Haringey needs a number of Older People champions across the services to enable the desired vision to be achieved.

There is a need to bear in mind day opportunities, especially culturally specific ones like the Cypriot Centre and the Irish Centre, when considering the funding associated with Local Area Agreements.  This will be a challenge.

Noted that HAVCO (Haringey Association of Voluntary and Community Organisations) has a Well-being Theme group which involves between 30-40 organisations.

This is a useful avenue for networking and for consultation.

There needs to be a shift in the way that older people are involved in the commissioning of services. 

Older people should be consulted on which services should be commissioned.

Older People need to be asked ‘How can I help you to get involved?’  This would enable Older People to continue to feel that they have a roe in society.  They would be contributing to the services that they are receiving.

Important to note that front-line staff are key to the inclusion of Older People.  It is these people who can identify when someone would benefit from services.

Belief that there needs to be greater linkage across the services and across the agencies.  Also that there should be triggers in place which would help to identify when a person could benefit from services.

Points of discussion

Noted that any service is as only as good as their staff.   For example it is vital that Social Workers are aware of what services are available as they have direct access to people.  This includes people who are in the low and medium bandings of the eligibility criteria of the Fair Access to Care Services Criteria.