Caroline Cooke

The Policy Report which was published in the October issue of the BGS Newsletter

A lot of our policy and influencing work in the last year has focused on social care and the health impacts for older people, and the associated implications for our members' work, when there are difficulties in accessing good quality social care.  
 

In order to make progress against our policy aims and objectives BGS engages in a mix of proactive and reactive activity.  All of it is evidence-based and focused on the unique contribution that the Society is able to bring to inform policy development decisions.

The Loneliness Strategy is Government’s first step in tackling the long-term challenge of loneliness. Loneliness is a complex issue that affects many different groups of people, and the evidence base on it is still developing.

The BGS responded to the review of the Prime Minister’s Challenge on Dementia 2020 by Department of Health and Social Care. While lauding the progress made in promotion of public messages, the BGS remains concerned that cuts to public health funding are a barrier to spreading the public health message

BGS recently responded to the public consultation by Health Education England with input from NHS England and other bodies, on its draft health and care workforce strategy for England to 2027. The focus was on the development of the strategy, which will be published in July 2018 to coincide with the NHS 70th anniversary.

There have been lots of positive opportunities for engaging with key opinion formers and decision makers in the last few months. We have been busy making the most of these opportunities, as well as continuing to build and strengthen our links with other organisations that we want to work with. 

As well as balancing its books each year, the NHS needs to invest in new ways of working that can better serve the changing needs of patients and increasing demand for services.

The British Geriatrics Society response to the Department of Health’s consultation on the regulation of medical associate professions in the UK and the positive recognition of the medical associate role that it represents.