Dignity is a priority, says health minister

Older people’s dignity should be “a priority” for health and social care watchdogs, according to Liam Byrne, the care services minister.

The government has announced a new report for the second phase of its ten year National Service Framework (NSF) for older people, entitled A New Ambition for Old Age, which aims to promote healthy ageing.

Mr Byrne said that the government would extend the Older People’s Champions Network, which provides feedback for services aimed at older people in the NHS. Mr Byrne commented: “Dignity is everybody’s business. So we’ll be asking watchdogs, nurses, doctors and newly appointed older peoples champions to join together with one goal: to make dignity in care a priority.”

Professor Ian Philp, who authored the report, remarked that the advancements made in the first NSF phase, such as increased breast screening for over-65s and supporting older people living at home, now needed to be “delivered in a way that secures older people’s dignity”.

Help The Aged has welcomed the proposals. Last week it published a poll of health service professionals which found that many older people were dying undignified deaths due to ineffective or ill-followed procedures for dying people, or the absence of any such procedures ? something described by the charity as “the last taboo”.

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