A strategic partnership approach to enabling co-production of integrated care for older people

Background : Designing and delivering integrated care for older people across local communities and hospitals is a multifaceted collaborative process between providers, users and carers. Ireland’s  Integrated Care Programme for Older Persons commenced in 2016. There are currently 12 pioneer sites in various stages of development. A key objective of the programme is the engagement of service users in the co-production of service design and service improvement. Age Friendly Ireland co-ordinate the Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme. This programme brings together and supports the 31 local authority led, multi-agency Age Friendly Alliances and Older Person’s Councils, and provides the links between the National Positive Ageing Strategy and the Global Age Friendly Cities Guide published by the World Health Organisation in 2007. Age Friendly Ireland have a proven track record in addressing the inclusion of older people in their communities and in addressing their expressed concerns through pilot projects and services improvements under the eight headings of Outdoor spaces & buildings; Transportation;  Housing; Respect and Social Inclusion; Social Participation; Communication and Information; Civic Participation and Employment; Community Support and Health Services. In 2017 the HSE through the National Working Group for Older People NWGOP developed a Memorandum of Understanding MOU with the Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme. This MOU established a requirement for membership of governance structures within the ICPOP at both a national level and a local level to be inclusive of older people. It also set out how the programme intended to facilitate co-production of service improvement/service design with older people through a series of workshops aimed at examining patient feedback from services under the themes of person centred care, co-ordination, and communication, and using this feedback in small groups to identify improvements under the three themes. Attendance is open to health care professionals, older people, local authority staff, and NGO’s representing older people. The workshops will also be used to recruit patient champions to sit on improvement project boards. Aims and Objectives : To demonstrate the importance of partnership in developing a co-production approach to integrated care. To highlight the relevance of the WHO Global Age Friendly Cities Guide to the development and implementation of a holistic model of integrated care for older people. To re-enforce the importance of a co-production approach that puts the voice of patients at the centre. To dispel any misconceptions about either the lack of a willingness or capacity on the part of patients to engage. Format timing, speakers, discussion, group work, etc : Formal presentation 20 minutes followed by a group discussion and questions session 10minutes. Target audience : Relevant to anyone working in integrated care for older people, but also relevant to those interested in a co-production approach to integrated care. Learnings/Take away : Collaboration, co-production, service user engagement, active citizenship, person centredness, shared ownership. These cannot be just words, but the drivers of how we re-imagine how we deliver services and supports that enable our citizens to live well in the place of their choosing.