Volunteering and Older People's Care in Tayside
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www.vds.org.uk Volunteering and older people’s care in Tayside March 2013 www.vds.org.uk Contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................................02 1.1 VEnable context .......................................................................................................................02 1.2 Influencing policy and practice .................................................................................................03 1.3 VEnable methodology ..............................................................................................................06 2. VEnable findings - volunteers in hospitals .......................................................................................08 2.1 Mapping volunteering support in hospitals ...................................................................................08 2.2 Matching needs and volunteer opportunities in hospitals ...........................................................09 3. VEnable findings – community settings ..........................................................................................12 3.1 GP Surgeries ...............................................................................................................................12 3.2 Care homes and sheltered housing ..............................................................................................14 3.3 Home and Wider Community .....................................................................................................15 3.4 Matching needs and volunteer opportunities – community settings ............................................17 3.5 VEnable findings - mapping summary ..........................................................................................20 3.6 Volunteering motivations and experience ...................................................................................22 4. Findings - key challenges and barriers ...........................................................................................25 4.1 Strategic challenges – connecting volunteers to health and social care needs .............................25 4.2 Challenges – heath and social care staff and their engagement with volunteers ........................27 4.3 Challenges – finding, matching and placing volunteers with older people ..................................29 5. Conclusions and recommendations ...............................................................................................33 5.1 Findings: availability of support and creating more volunteering opportunities ...........................33 5.2 Questions for consideration ........................................................................................................35 5.3 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................36 01 The objectives and intended outcomes of Stage 2 are 1. Introduction listed below: This report highlights the findings from the VEnable pilot led by Volunteer Development Scotland (VDS) Objectives with support from the Scottish Government Health To demonstrate ways in which volunteering Directorates, and in partnership with NHS Tayside. can impact on older people’s health and Work was undertaken from November 2011 support services (including older people who throughout 2012. volunteer and those receiving support through volunteering). 1.1 VEnable context To identify where volunteering interventions could support (alongside other services) older The ambitious and experimental VEnable pilot came people to stay in their homes longer /remain about in response to the issues relating to volunteering independent/contribute to community. and health which were identified through the Identify potential interventions that would delivery of the Refreshed Strategy for Volunteering enable opportunities related to volunteering in in NHSScotland (launched in 2008) as well as the health to be more integrated. growing challenges associated with Scotland’s ageing population. The first stage of VEnable was a desk based review of current literature and good practice Intended outcomes with respect to the relationship between volunteers, Increased ability for NHS Tayside to make older people and health and care outcomes. This was informed decisions relating to the development completed in November 2011 and is available on the of volunteering within older people’s care Volunteer Development Scotland website. services. The second stage of VEnable utilised primary research Better understanding of how volunteering in order to investigate the potential of volunteering to can contribute to health outcomes and wider enhance health and care service outcomes of health policy/strategy. older people. Increased understanding of how volunteering can contribute to service outcomes relating to older people. Increased demonstration of how health services can engage and respond in an integrated way to volunteers contribution. 02 As a point of reference the following definitions which time and energy in providing information, advice and were outlined in the Refreshed Strategy for Volunteering support to the VEnable project team. This included a in NHSScotland: dedicated Reference Group which has provided clarity, specialist support and has provided help in connecting “[A volunteer is a] person who gives freely and willingly the project team to relevant information and people. of their time to help improve the health and wellbeing of patients, users (and their families and carers) of the VEnable was intended to support the celebrated work NHS in Scotland.” For the purposes of the Venable which has taken-place within and as a result of the project this definition is extended to include those Refreshed Strategy for Volunteering in NHS Tayside as volunteers providing support to older people in the well as the positive approach already adopted through community; for example, the Investing in Volunteers award process. By older people, we mean those aged 65 and above. It is worth noting however that VEnable did not aim to audit nor complete a directory of all volunteering The knowledge gained from Stage 1 of VEnable was activity in relation to older people and care in NHS used to develop the methods and the approach which Tayside. Rather, the intent was to provide a snapshot underpinned Stage 2 in particular, it was felt that in of these activities as well as to capture the perceptions order to better understand the relationship between and experiences of key stakeholders. As such we are volunteering and health and care services for older aware that statistics and some information relating to people, it was important to focus on one geographical the mapping of volunteer support which we report area in Scotland. Consequently, the Scottish below may have changed since the project team were Government and VDS approached NHS Tayside as in the field. We hope that the project findings will a partner. We are immensely grateful to everyone’s provide new evidence which can be taken into account when planning and delivering health and social care services for older people in Tayside. 1.2 Influencing policy and practice On a national level, VEnable will contribute to, and aims to influence, the approach taken by policy makers as well as those working directly to support the challenges faced by our ageing population. The key policy issues relating to the care of older people and to volunteering are outlined below. For the first time ever, there are more people aged over 65 in Scotland than there are people aged under 16. This tipping of the age balance is socially significant and presents challenges to public policy and the allocation of health and social care resources. Over the past decade the Scottish Government has dedicated 03 a great deal of work to anticipating the needs of the growing number of older people. It is clear that a high priority is being given to addressing the implications of a demographic shift which will increase demand on public services, on financial support with reduced resources, on our communities, and on those of us willing and able to offer help and support through volunteering. The reshaping care for older people Programme for Change strategy document states that it is also important to note that older people themselves can have a critical role to play in keeping other older people out of the formal care system and living Potentially, independently at home. The document highlights that volunteering older people provide far more care than they receive. has a major and For instance, it is estimated that over 3,000 people significant role to over the age of 65 receive more than 20 hours of paid play in reshaping care care per week while over 40,000 people over the for older people. There is age of 65 provide more than 20 hours unpaid care per an assumption on the part of week. The issues highlighted by practitioners and policy policy makers that communities will makers in the document include: easily respond to the shift in demand for volunteers major financial pressure of ageing population as older (i.e. community activists, local leaders, local charities, people ‘consume’ more health; trusts and groups) to support the new approaches to public service reform; for example in community asset demand for unscheduled care; transfer, increased demand for people to support care balance between acute and community sector of the elderly (preventative