Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) Project

Authors
Dr Alison Donaldson
Dr Christine McAlpine
Professor Phyo Myint
Topics
Cross-cutting Primary/Acute
Authored on
Last updated
Published date

Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) is a Scottish national evaluation project focusing on care of older people across Scotland in both primary and secondary care settings.

What is SCoOP?

SCoOP has the following overarching aims:

  • To evaluate the variation in service provision for older people who require health and social care in various settings to serve as a driver for standardisation and improvementof care across Scotland.
  • To provide benchmarking tools for various care aspects of older people in Scottish NHS health and social care setting to support improvement work in services across Scotland.
  • To provide a health intelligence and knowledge transfer hub for service users , health care providers and policy makers through annual evaluation cycles.

This is a joint initiative set up in late 2016 by three key partners: Health Improvement Scotland, the British Geriatrics Society Scotland Council, and the University of Aberdeen as the lead Academic Institution, with representatives from other Scottish Universities with Clinical Academic Departments in Geriatric Medicine.

SCoOP Acute Hospitals Outcomes Reports

Annual reports providing an overview of outcomes of acute geriatric medicine services in Scotland.

The latest report, SCoOP Acute Hospital Outcomes Report: 2021/22, was published on 15 May 2023. This report provides an overview of outcomes of acute geriatric medicine services in Scotland before, during and after the COVID lockdown. 

Publication of the next report is expected in late 2024.

SCoOP CGA in Acute Hospitals 2019

This report summarises findings from an audit on Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) provision in acute Scottish hospitals in 2019. This initial analysis highlights variation in the ways comprehensive geriatric specialist care is accessed, structured and staffed across Scotland, with established frailty units only in a quarter of Scottish Hospitals.

 

SCoOP Resources

Papers, posters and presentations giving further detail and analysis on SCoOP's mission and data.

Papers

Postcode lottery in healthcare? Findings from the Scottish National Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in Secondary Care Audit 2019

Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (CGA) is provided differently across Scotland. Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) CGA Audit was a national audit conducted in 2019 to assess this variation in acute hospitals. 

Variation in acute and community service provision of care of the elderly services across Scotland: findings from the Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) initial scoping survey

This report clearly demonstrates mismatch between workforce and services in both acute and community settings in the context of the population size. Future surveys will build on this preliminary information to audit service provision for older people at an individual hospital level.

Older patients are more likely to breach the 4-hour target in Scotland

Objective: To determine if age is a factor in a patients' likelihood of breaching the 4 hour time target to admission/discharge in emergency departments (EDs) within NHS Scotland.

Methods: We used data from the Information Service Division Scotland to analyse all ED attendances in Scotland between January 2015 and September 2018 (n=5 596 642). We assessed the likelihood of time to admission/discharge being within 4 hours, 8 hours and 12 hours for all age categories (reference category 20 to 24 years). Univariable logistic regressions were carried out for sex, Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation level and both major (potentially life threatening) and minor (not immediately life threatening) incidences.

Results: The likelihood of breaching the 4-hour target increased linearly with age from 15 to 19 years upward. Patients ≥85 years were significantly (p<0.001) more likely to have breached than patients aged 20 to 24 years (OR 3.80, 95% CI: 3.73 to 3.86). When considering major incidents, patients aged ≥85 years were more likely to have breached than those aged 20 to 24 years (OR 2.05, 95% CI: 2.01 to 2.09, p<0.001). The same was true of minor incidents (OR 2.85, 95% CI: 2.73 to 2.98, p<0.001).

Conclusions: Older age is associated with a higher probability of breaching waiting time targets in a linear fashion within NHS Scotland, which is consistent with previous single hospital or regional studies. This association may be due to the higher proportion of elderly patients being admitted or a more systemic issue, but regardless, the elderly are being put more at risk.

The sorts of insights we can gain from SCoOP are a vital first step in ensuring people living with frailty in all parts of Scotland receive the consistently great care they deserve."

- Dr Bob Caslake, Chair, BGS Scotland

Conference presentations

  1. “Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) National Audit”. 1-2 November 2017, BGS Scotland Autumn Meeting. Phyo K Myint, Christine McAlpine & Graham Ellis.
  2. Is acute care ageist? Graham Ellis, Phyo K Myint. EUGMS, Berlin, 10-12 October, 2018.
  3. “What’s the scoop on SCoOP? Update on Scottish Care of Older People (SCoOP) project” 26 April 2019, BGS Scotland Spring Meeting. Southhall Complex, University of Edinburgh.
  4. SCoOP update. BGS Scotland Autumn 2019, Dumfries, 22 November 2019. Marc Locherty, Christine McAlpine, Phyo K Myint.
  5. Important variations in care of the elderly services. 31 January 2019 as the First Prize paper from a doctor from training grade awarded to Dr Alison Donaldson. Presented at the Medical Trainees: On-call Handbook Symposium 2020.

Posters

A poster summarising the latest report (2021-22) is being presented at the BGS Spring Meeting 2023. You can view this poster and abstract, and ask questions to the authors, by visiting our interactive poster platform:

Older posters
  1. Pana TA, Neal SR, Perdomo J, Donaldson AIC. On Behalf of SCoOP Steering Group. Scottish Care of Older People: initial scoping survey results. Scottish BGS Spring Meeting, Rutherglen, 27 April 2018.
  2. Older age is associated with higher percentage of breaches for 4 hour Emergency Department waiting time: Scottish Experience. Graham Ellis, PK Myint. NRS Conference, 30 October, Perth 2018.

SCoOP Steering Group

Co-Chairs

  • Professor Phyo Kyaw Myint, University of Aberdeen
  • Dr Christine McAlpine, BGS Scotland

Secretary

  • Dr Alison IC Donaldson, Dr Bob Caslake

Members

 

  • Dr Amanda Barugh, NHS Lothian
  • Dr Louise Beveridge, NHS Tayside
  • Dr Anthony Byrne, NHS Forth Valley
  • Dr Robert Caslake, BGS Scotland Council Chair
  • Dr Amy Conley, Dumfries & Galloway
  • Dr Claire Copeland
  • Dr Alice Einarsson, NHS Shetland
  • Miss Beatrix Elsberger, Breast Oncology Lead
  • Dr Alison Falconer, NHS Lanarkshire (2022)
  • Dr Jennifer (Jenny) Lonnen, NHS Borders (2022)
  • Dr Allan MacDonald, NHS Highland
  • Mr David A McDonald MBE, Modernising Patient Pathways Programme
  • Dr Morven McElroy, NHS Glasgow & Clyde
  • Dr Laura McGarrity, RCoA Scotland
  • Dr Lara Mitchell, Healthcare Improvement Scotland
  • Professor Susan Moug, ELLSA
  • Professor Terence Quinn, University of Glasgow
  • Mr George Ramsay, University of Aberdeen
  • Professor Sir Lewis Ritchie, University of Aberdeen
  • Dr Susan Shenkin, University of Edinburgh
  • Dr Lynn Shields, NHS Grampian (Jennifer Lowrie- Maternity cover)
  • Professor Roy L Soiza, Scottish Society of Physicians
  • Dr Ralph Thomas, NHS Fife
  • Dr Rowan Wallace, NHS Ayrshire & Arran
  • Miss Eilaine White, University of Dundee
  • Ms Vicky Hough, Older People Pharmacy Services

 

Previous members

 

  • Ms Penny Bond, HIS (2017-2018)
  • Ms. Karen Goulding, HIS (2017-2018)
  • Dr Alice Einarsson, NHS Shetland (2017-2019)
  • Dr Andrew Coull, NHS Lothian (2017-2019)
  • Mr Scott Buchanan, NHS National Services Scotland (2018-2020)
  • Dr Andrew Watt, NHS Ayrshire & Arran (2017-2020)
  • Mrs Geraldine Jordan, Health Care Improvement Scotland (2018-2021)
  • Professor Graham Ellis, NHS Lanarkshire & Co-Chair (2016-2021)
  • Dr Jennifer Burns (2016-2021)
  • Professor Corri Black, Grampian DASH (2016-2021)
  • Dr Alan McKenzie, BGS Scotland (2017-2021)
  • Dr Graeme Hoyle, NHS Grampian (2017-2022)

 

Key partners

Contact

For further information please contact:

Professor Phyo K Myint
Professor of Medicine of Old Age,
University of Aberdeen
phyo.myint@abdn.ac.uk

More information

BGS Scotland

BGS Scotland is the professional organisation of doctors who specialise in the medicine of old age in Scotland. The branch has 280 or so members. We welcome suggestions and input from members of BGS Scotland or from representatives of organisations sharing the interests of the Society.