Healthy Ageing

What is the Healthy Ageing Programme?

The Healthy Ageing Programme builds on the strengths of existing Wessex AHSN programmes to provide a cross cutting approach to healthy ageing and frailty.  We add value to the frailty agenda and service improvement activities in Wessex, retaining focus on best practice and the spread and adoption of innovation across the region

Why focus on frailty in Wessex?

In Wessex in 2018, 592,000 people were over 65, by 2030 this will have risen to 751,000 (Office for National Statistics 2018) the ageing population presents a significant challenge across our region. Our local integrated care systems  have articulated their commitment to the national Ageing Well agenda as part of their five-year delivery plans

What is the impact of frailty on individuals living with frailty in Wessex?

Although not an inevitable part of getting older, frailty occurs as a result of the ageing process with a decline in the body’s physical and psychological reserves. Currently 10% of those over 65 years and between 25% and 50% of those over 85 years are estimated to be living with frailty (Clegg et al 2013). Frailty presents like a long term condition in that it is progressive, has negative impacts on daily living, and fluctuates in its severity. Those living with frailty are at greater risk of deterioration in their physical and mental wellbeing after a relatively minor event such as an infection. The routine identification and management of frailty can greatly improve the health, independence and outcomes of those living with frailty, yet it is often not diagnosed until an individual experiences a major event or is admitted to hospital

What is the Healthy Programmes’ focus 2021/22?

Wessex AHSN is collaborating with a range of partners across the Wessex, regional and national systems to add value to existing healthy ageing and frailty services through innovation and the spread of best practice with three areas of focus:

Prevention: 

1. Live, longer, better

Best Practice (Audits): 

1. Wessex Acute Frailty Audit
2. MDT toolbox
3. Development of comprehensive geriatric assessment approach and implementation guidance
   

Innovation, Spread and Evaluation

1. Falls, care homes and ambulance services
2. Social entrepreneurship 
3. Frailty awareness and education 6 month review of spread and adoption
4. Frailty virtual wards

In addition, an active community of practice has been developed to allow subject matter experts working in this field across Wessex to share and develop approaches to improve care, as well as developing tools to help share best practice.  To join our mailing list for invitations to events and receipt of our quarterly newsletter by emailing healthyageing@wessex.ahsn.net 

Collaborative working

The programme fosters close working relationships with national leaders within Ageing Well, British Geriatrics Society, NHS Benchmarking, Getting it Right First Time and the AHSN National Healthy Ageing Network and local leaders across the health, social care, voluntary sectors

Useful links & resources

Wessex Health Lines - Healthy Ageing Line - A visual representation of projects happening in the Wessex region. It serves as a resource for individuals and organisations collaborating to improve healthy ageing care in Wessex. If you are doing a project to support healthy ageing within the Wessex region, you can add the project details directly to the website

British Geriatric Society https://www.bgs.org.uk/ 

Ageing Well https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/areas-of-work/ageing-well/ 

London Clinical Frailty Network https://www.england.nhs.uk/london/london-clinical-networks/our-networks/frailty/ 

Please also visit Wessex AHSN Medicine Optimisation website for further details of this extensive Medicines Optimisation programme and Wessex ARC research areas for polypharmacy