Thank you for contacting me about the health and care for older people.
My ministerial colleagues and I are aware that, these days, many people spend their later years with multiple health conditions. The percentage of people aged over 65 years old with two or more health conditions is projected to increase from 54 per cent in 2015 to 68 per cent in 2035. In light of this, the Government supports the health needs of, and prevents ill health in, older people through a variety of actions.
As part of the 2021 Spending Review, £2.3 billion was committed to expand Community Diagnostic Centres, which will offer rapid access to clinical tests and life-saving checks closer to home. These centres have already delivered over 1.7 million additional checks and tests and will play an important role in helping to reduce waiting times. The Government is funding a new £10m Community Diagnostic Centre at St Mary’s Hospital which will speed up vital tests, checks and scans helping drive down waiting lists and ultimately save more lives.
The NHS Health Check detects people at risk of developing cardiovascular disease in later life, and other common preventable diseases among older people. At the check, medical staff will encourage people in mid-life to stop smoking, to reduce their alcohol consumption and to improve their diet, in a bid to reduce the risk of dementia, disability and frailty in later life. The Government engages with a wide range of organisations on healthy ageing, and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is taking targeted actions to tackle the most common preventable diseases.
Furthermore, the Government will soon publish a Major Conditions Strategy, a strong, coherent policy agenda that sets out a shift to integrated care. It will tackle conditions that contribute most to morbidity and mortality across the population in England including cancers, cardiovascular disease, including stroke and diabetes, chronic respiratory diseases, dementia, mental ill health and musculoskeletal conditions.
The Government also launched an Older People’s Housing Taskforce earlier this year. The panel will focus on: the needs, preferences and concerns of older people, their families and their carers; maximising the potential of technology, building design and regulation to ensure homes are suitable for the future; and understanding progress at a local level to increase the volume and diversity of housing options for older people. The taskforce will run for up to 12 months, producing an independent report to Government upon conclusion.
Thank you again for taking the time to contact me.