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About the NSF for older people
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Last modified date:8 November 2007
The NSF for older people was published on 27 March 2001. It sets new national standards and service models of care across health and social services for all older people, whether they live at home, in residential care or are being looked after in hospital.
The NSF leads with plans to:
- tackle age discrimination to make it a thing of the past, and ensure older people are treated with respect and dignity
- ensure older people are supported by newly integrated services with a well co-ordinated, coherent and cohesive approach to assessing individual's needs and circumstances and for commission and providing services for them
- specifically address those conditions which are particularly significant for older people - stroke, falls and mental health problems associated with older age
- promote the health and well-being of older people through co-ordinated actions of the NHS and councils.
The NHS Plan also sets out a major package of investment to improve services and standards of care for older people. Integrated policy and practice development will be essential in developing and working towards the standards set out in this NSF.
This NSF was developed with advice from an External Reference Group (ERG), co-chaired by Ian Philp, now the National Director of Older People's Services, and Ms Denise Platt, Chief Inspector of the Social Services Inspectorate. The ERG brought together older people and their carers, health and social services professional staff, NHS and social services managers and partner agencies.
The NSF is a ten-year programme of improvement implemented through local health and social care partners, and national underpinning programmes. Progress will be monitored through a series of milestones and performance measures, and will be overseen by the NHS Modernisation Board and the Older People's Services.
The full electronic version of the NSF is available on the page linked below.
The standards
The eight NSF Standards are as follows and more information regarding progress so far and good practice examples can be accessed by clicking on to them:
- Standard One - Rooting out age discrimination
- Standard Two - Person-centred care
- Standard Three - Intermediate care
- Standard Four - General hospital care
- Standard Five - Stroke
- Standard Six - Falls
- Standard Seven - Mental health in older people
- Standard Eight - The promotion of health and active life in older age
There is also a separate Medicines Management booklet.
The NSF second anniversary progress report - this report was launched in March 2003. It details the progress made in implementing the NSF in the first two years, as well as progress in developing older people's services generally.
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