The Integrated Care Programme for Older People (ICPOP) and the National Clinical Programme for Older People (NCPOP) are leading out on the development of cohesive primary and secondary care services for older people especially those with more complex needs. The current focus is on the development of 12 pioneer sites nationally (6 in 2016 and 6 in 2017), which builds on work and initiatives currently being developed locally in Ireland, and on the work to date on Acute and Mental Health pathways developed by the NCPOP. These sites are working to a 10-Step Framework that fundamentally adopts a population based approach with new ways of working, at the core of which is a case management approach to integrated care. The ICPOP proposes to implement, test and monitor integrated service developments for older people in pioneer sites and to evaluate this implementation so that lessons learned may be extended nationally.
The ICPOP, in conjunction with the Social Care Division of the HSE, developed a 7 minute video clip illustrating how older persons care is currently managed and how this might look in the future when care is integrated across primary care, hospital and community, from a patient perspective (Nora).
2016 marked the programme initiation and the coming together of the ICPOP and the NCPOP to form the National Working group for Older People. This report summarises the key aspects of the programme which were delivered in 2016 and on the planned deliverables for 2017.
Aims and Objectives of the Programme
The aim of the integrated Care Programme for Older Persons is to develop and implement integrated services and pathways for older people with complex health and social care needs, shifting the delivery of care away from acute hospitals towards community based, planned and coordinated care.
The objective of the programme is to improve the quality of life for older people by providing access to integrated care and support that is planned around their needs and choices, supporting them to live well in their own homes and communities.
