In March 2023, we published Joining the dots: A blueprint for preventing and managing frailty in older people. This set out seven touchpoints of care that should be available to older people, as and when they need them and 12 recommendations to systems. One of the recommendations is specifically around the provision of rehabilitation and one of the touchpoints is ‘Integrated urgent community response, reablement, rehabilitation and intermediate care.’
In this new document, we take a deep dive into this Blueprint recommendation, looking at the evidence behind the provision of rehabilitation for older people and highlighting examples of best practice from across the UK and internationally. We argue that rehabilitation should be a component of virtually all care for older people, across all care settings, and that there is no such thing as ‘no rehabilitation potential.’
This document has been led by Professor Anne Hendry, Honorary Professor at the University of the West of Scotland and Senior Associate at the International Foundation for Integrated Care and a group of BGS members from across the UK and across disciplines have contributed to drafting the document. We hope that BGS members, commissioners and system leaders will find it useful in planning rehabilitation services for older people in their communities.
| Click through the chapters below to read the report, or click here to download the entire report as a PDF. |
Contributors and Acknowledgements
Contributors and Acknowledgements
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- Professor Anne Hendry, Senior Associate, International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC); Honorary Professor, University of the West of Scotland; Honorary Physician, NHS Lanarkshire Research and Development Department
- Lucy Aldridge, Policy Co-ordinator, BGS
- Dr Michael Azad, Co-chair, BGS Frailty and Urgent Care Special Interest Group; Consultant Geriatrician, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust
- Dr Neil Chadborn, Senior Research Fellow, University of Nottingham
- Dr Alison Cowley, Associate Chief Allied Health Professional Research & Innovation, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust; Honorary Associate Professor, University of Nottingham, School of Medicine
- Dr Amanda Crawford, Consultant Geriatrician, South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust
- Lyndsey Dunn, Vice-Chair, BGS Nurse and AHP Council; Clinical Service Manager, Fife Health and Social Care Partnership
- Sally Greenbrook, Policy Manager, BGS
- Cliff Kilgore, Chair, BGS Wessex Council; Consultant Practitioner Integrated Care/Older People, Bournemouth and Christchurch medical team
- Professor Finbarr Martin, Emeritus Consultant Geriatrician and Professor of Medical Gerontology, King’s College London
- Dr Vimal Sriram, Director of Allied Health Professionals, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust
- Dr Jennifer Stevenson, Lead Pharmacist for Older Adults, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust; Honorary Senior Lecturer, King’s College London
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With our thanks to the following third sector, specialist society and NHS colleagues who have advised us on this project:
• Dr Susanne Arnold, Chair, AGILE • Dr Hannah Barbour, Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist, Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust • Sara Bolton, Regional Chief AHP (South East) • Dr Eileen Burns, Former National Specialty Adviser, NHS England • Tom Gentry, Health Influencing Lead, Age UK • Professor Vicki Goodwin MBE, Professor of Ageing and Rehabilitation, University of Exeter • Rob Gowans, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland • Lynn Iveson, Advanced Clinical Practitioner (Physiotherapist), South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust • Liz Jones, Policy Director, National Care Forum • Jackie Lidgard, Professional Advisor (South West), Chartered Society of Physiotherapy • Dr Stephen Lim, Consultant Geriatrician, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust • Rhian Milton-Cole, Chair, AGILE • Claire Moser, Policy Adviser, Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists • Sara Redmond, Chief Officer (Development), Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland