A new set of standards published for NHS Scotland aims to give elderly hospital patients and their carers more say in decision-making.
Opportunity to Contribute
The measures include listening to older patients and acting on their views during their hospital stay. Carers, family members or other representatives will also be given the opportunity to contribute to these discussions.
The 16 standards build on the ones last issued in 2002 and highlight the need for well-coordinated support among different disciplines for older people returning home from hospital. The standards suggest patients should have a health or social care staff member assigned to them for arranging their move home.
Complexity of Care
Other standards cover issues such as taking steps to understand the complexity of care that patients need upon admission, and each standard comes with a statement about the level of performance that NHS boards are expected to achieve.
“This new set of standards has been developed to support staff to provide the best care for older people in hospital”
Developed to Support Staff
Dr Christine McAlpine, geriatric medicine specialty adviser to the chief medical officer, said: “This new set of standards has been developed to support staff to provide the best care for older people in hospital, wherever healthcare is delivered.
The standards come into effect immediately but health boards will need time to implement them before inspections by watchdog Healthcare Improvement Scotland in the autumn.
You can find out more about the new set of standards by visiting the Healthcare Improvement Scotland website.
