Older People Policy Group

This policy group, which was established in March 2005, is slightly different from the others, in that it does not have a specified group of diagnoses to define its parameters. This cross cutting group for the palliative care needs of older people will include consideration of the implications of multiple conditions and of general frailty rather than specific diagnoses. It has also picked up the continuing work on palliative care in care homes for older people begun through NCPC’;s Clinical Issues Committee, which has now been disbanded.

The policy group is chaired by Eve Richardson, Chief Executive of NCPC, with lead policy unit input from Emily Sam, with support from Alice Fuller. The cross cutting themes identified to date are

• Increasing user involvement
• Tackling social disadvantage
• The impact of co- and multiple morbidity
• Black and minority ethnic access
• The effects of sensory and communication impairments on service access
• Improving general palliative care