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In future years, older people will form a greater proportion of Scotland's population than ever before. For most, this will not make a great difference to the lives they lead, but some people will need some help. It could be help with care needs, with household tasks or with getting out and about.
Services for older people are provided by the NHS, local authorities, voluntary and charitable organisations and the private sector and others. They may be provided in the person's home, in a care home or in hospital.
The arrangements we have for supporting older people are at the heart of these services. However, they were not designed to cope with the demands they will soon face. We need to recognise that the way the population is changing means that current systems are not sustainable in the longer term.
In 2009, the Scottish Government, COSLA and the NHS established the Reshaping Care for Older People programme 3 - a major programme to engage all interests in reshaping care and support services so that we meet policy objectives in ways that are sustainable. The programme consists of eight work streams, including one on housing and communities, known as Wider Planning for an Ageing Population.
The Wider Planning for an Ageing Population workstream had two key aims:
A stakeholder working group was established to take work forward. It was briefed to consider radical and innovative ideas which could inform strategy for older people's housing over the next twenty years, while recognising the likelihood of a more difficult financial climate in future years. In that context, it was important to consider all ideas, particularly new approaches, but also to look at how value could be added to current expenditure. While recognising that wider issues, such as transport and leisure are also important, this workstream focuses predominantly on housing and its immediate environment.
This consultation is about the report produced by the Wider Planning for an Ageing Population stakeholder working group. The report provides details of the approach taken to the workstream, the issues and draft outcomes discussed and the suggested actions. The full report can be viewed here, but this paper provides a summary of the issues, main outcomes and suggested actions to achieve them.
The Wider Planning workstream report represents the output of a short and concentrated period of work by a small group of stakeholders. We would now like to publicise the workstream and seek views more widely. We are conscious that wider discussion may highlight further opportunities for action, but believe the current proposals provide a helpful starting point.