Background

Wales is a relatively small country with a population of just under 3 million of whom 35.9% are over 50 and 22.7% are over 60. The National Assembly for Wales, established in 1999, is one of the newest elected institutions in Europe. It has devolved responsibility from Westminster for many areas including economic development, transport, education, health and social services.

Wales has some areas of real deprivation and high levels of poor health and poverty amongst older people, and is just beginning to experience some issues that are already being addressed in other parts of the UK – for example only 0.8% of the 60+ population are from a non-white ethnic group and services geared to the culture and needs of a diverse ethnic population are virtually non-existent.

Concerns that current approaches to working with older people were all based on a service provision ‘recipient’ model provided the impetus for a strategic approach to ageing that sought to make a shift from the traditional health and social care model to a citizenship and person centred approach. So when the Assembly began to look at how to develop such a broad based strategic approach to address the ageing population in Wales they started by adopting the United Nations Principles on Ageing – Independence, Participation, Care, Self Fulfilment and Dignity.

The first stage in developing a strategic approach was to talk to older people directly to ensure that their views were expressed and taken into account from the outset. This was achieved through:

• organising 27 focus groups with older people across Wales
• a national conference where 50% of the 200+ delegates were older people.
• special regional Assembly meetings.
• a public/media consultation.

An advisory group was established with members drawn from the key ‘stakeholder’ groups in the statutory, voluntary and private sectors and from organisations of older people. Places were also reserved for ‘lay’ older people to join, via a public nominations process. The group met 11 times from June 2001 to March 2002 and in addition to feedback from older people the group considered 38 papers and literature reviews from different members/agencies and a range of other evidence.

‘When I’m 64 and More…’ the report of that advisory group published in May 2002, carries the name of the National Assembly for Wales on its front cover but the content recognises the inclusive approach taken to reach that point.

Following a further period of public consultation on the advisory group report a final Strategy document was written by, and carries the logo of, the Welsh Assembly Government (WAG). Interestingly, for many of us who work with older people in Wales - and unlike with most other strategies (of which there are many) - we tend to think of this as ‘our’ strategy rather than a WAG strategy. This reflects the inclusive partnership approach to both its development and its implementation.

The 10 year Strategy for Older People in Wales was formally launched in January 2003. The context of our Strategy is, as has been described, the demographic trends that face us in Wales over the next few decades, the need to create an attitude shift away from ‘service user’ to ‘citizen’ and a recognition that where support is required the needs of older people must be taken more fully into account in every stage of the design, planning and delivery of services.

Our Strategy is about shedding the stereotypes that surround older people and instead ensuring that society at all levels can help people to live the lives that they want and deserve.

Our strategy is about putting older people at the centre and ensuring they are engaged as active citizens in society, allowing people to work longer if they want to and ending the problem of good, able workers being thrown on the scrapheap just because of their age.

Our strategy is about ensuring older people have access to transport, education courses or sports facilities and giving people the independence and choice they want in choosing the services that they need.

Our strategy is about ensuring that health, social care and housing services are tailored around the needs of older people and helping to maintain their independence in their own homes and that specialist services are available when needed.

Our strategy seeks to develop approaches which recognise the vital role that older people play in our society and improve the participation and engagement of older people in developing policy and in service delivery.

Through our strategy we aim to develop policies and delivery strategies which reflect the range of issues that matter to older people, from care and health to leisure and learning.

We know that we can only achieve these ambitions if we all – central and local government and the voluntary and private sectors – work together in effective partnerships. And we need to keep involving older people and listening to what they are saying.

What has been done so far?

So, almost four years on from the launch in 2003, where are we?

Some practical measures have been introduced by the Assembly including free bus travel and free swimming, increased housing support and a programme to increase benefit takeup. We have a healthy ageing action plan and a carers strategy in place.

The Assembly has put into place structures and resources to ensure that the Strategy has a high profile throughout government including:

• a Minister for Older People
• a Cabinet Sub Committee for Older People
• establishing an independent National Partnership Forum as an official Assembly advisory body on the implementation of the Strategy.

The creation of older people’s Champions and Strategy Coordinators in each local authority and the development of national and local inclusion, engagement and partnership programmes with and for older people have begun to change systems, structures and attitudes toward older people.

The launch, in 2006, of the National Service Framework for Older People in Wales, broadly based on the England NSF but updated and amended to reflect the situation, structures and policies in Wales, provides a framework and a 3 stage implementation plan for NHS Trusts, Local Health Boards and Local Authorities to work together to develop and improve services for older people.

Royal Assent has been given to create a Commissioner for Older People in Wales. The Commissioner will be a champion for older people whose role will be to ensure that the interests of older people in Wales are safeguarded and promoted. The Commissioner, as an ambassador and authority on older people’s issues, will speak up on behalf of older people within society who deserve a stronger voice about the services they receive and the needs they have. The role will be supported by statutory powers and will enable the Commissioner to review the impact of public services on older people and where things go wrong examine the reasons and the remedies. The Commissioner will engage with the wider equality agenda and we recognise the crucial role of the forthcoming CEHR (Commission for Equality and Human Rights) in championing legislation on age discrimination. We believe that together the CEHR in Wales and the Commissioner for Older People will have a key role to play in driving forward the principles of the Strategy.

The way forward

However, we have only just begun the task of changing the face of ageing in Wales and there are still many challenges ahead – including addressing poverty and entrenched ageist attitudes. Working with key national partners programmes have commenced on strategic approaches to economic activity amongst older people, on recognising and supporting the contribution that older people make to our society, on making life long learning a reality for more, on planning the built environment for older peoples access and on meeting the cultural, religious and sexual orientation needs of an increasingly diverse older population.

The next 12 months or so will be an important period for the Strategy. We will take forward an evaluation framework that has been developed and use the findings to shape the next phase of the Strategy from 2008 to 2011.

One of the real challenges for the Strategy in the coming years will be to evolve our approaches so that issues about ageing and older people are mainstreamed – that is they are integrated on an equitable basis in all aspects of, and at every level of, public policy and practice. There also needs to be a much more practical approach to the implementation of the UN Principles on Ageing, including finding ways to use current powers and the new Government of Wales Act to address the equality and human rights agenda and to develop and implement effective ‘age proofing’ tools across Wales.

The Strategy for Older People says that “addressing the implications of an ageing Wales is not a quick fix and must be properly planned and operate from a basis of robust evidence”. We believe we are on the right road and making steady progress.