MEETING OF THE DISTRICT OLDER PEOPLE’S FORUM on Wednesday 7th June 2017 VILLAGE HALL 10.30am – 1.00pm PRESENT Martin Bruton MB HDOPF Chairman Arthur Reader AR HDOPF Vice Chairman Alf Goodchild AG HDOPF Treasurer Martin Toomey MT HDOPF Secretary Joy Hearn JH Council - Dementia Friendly Coordinator Philomena Leech PL HDOPF Rudgwick Sonia Mangan SM Age UK Horsham District Claire Webley CW Horsham & Mid Voluntary Action (H&MSVA) Daphne Rogers DR Jane Apostolou JA Lilian Bold LB Fiona Ford FF Jean Lawrence JL Marion McKenzie MM Richard Davy RD Sussex Fire and Rescue Cynthia Rigby CR David Rigby DR Wendy Kehoe WK Kenneth Kehoe KK Rudgwick Trevor Dayneswood TD Computer Café Edward Skeates ES Slinfold Parish Council Peter Lusher PL Pauline Webb PW Kate Rowbottom KR HDC Councillor & Cabinet member Karen Davies KD Skylark house Care UK Joanne Dove JD Rudgwick Parish Council

1. PRELIMINARIES Apologies for absence: Pat McGrath : NHS Horsham and Mid-Sussex CCG, Cllr Godfrey Newman - Horsham Forest Ward Tim Wilkins Alzheimer’s Society Sandra Wylie-Sporne - Ashington Christine Wylie - Plummers Plain Marlene Riecker Ascot Care Debbie Wood The Hub, Barbara Baldwin Mid Sussex Older Peoples Council Barbara Varley - Lisa Boydell - HDC Health & Wellbeing Valerie Pugh

Resignation: Brian Harvey

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Previous meeting: Notes of the Meeting 3rd March 2017 at the Drill Hall Horsham with Nick Herbert MP are on the Website and are agreed as a fair record.

2. CHAIRMAN’S REPORT (1) Public Liability Insurance: has been taken out. Prompts further need for funds. (2) Portable loudspeaker system: has been acquired with WSCC CLC CIF grant help for use in village halls etc. Available for other groups to use. (3) Horsham Older People’s Directory of Services – preparation in progress led by AR. Now expected for publication in September/Autumn. (4) ‘Hospital Insight Working Party’ HDOPF, Age UK Horsham, WSCC, Healthwatch public consultation meetings booked for Horsham 11th July (WSCC offices) and 17th July next (Steyning Centre).

3. TREASURER’S REPORT Balance of account: £125

SPEAKERS’ PRESENTATIONS .

1. THE OLDER DRIVER – Older People and Driving Richard Davy: Dep District Commander Sussex Fire and Rescue.

Road Safety Action Group local for Horsham District led by Richard Davy and supported by Councillor Rowbottom who has responsibilities for Community Safety and Arthur Reader for HDOPF. Working to reduce death and serious injury on our roads. Publications: WSCC Sussex Safer Roads Partnership: ‘SAFER FOR OLDER DRIVERS’ and website SussexSaferRoads.gov.uk ‘Drive On’ Magazine: ‘THE ESSENTIAL GUIDE FOR DRIVERS AGED 65+’ Road Safety Action Group email: ‘Older Drivers Encouraged to Take Control’.

Statistics show Issues: Older drivers aged 65 + are likely to double in number by 2050. Drivers over the age of 70 years are required to renew their licence every three years with their own self-assessment of their fitness. Casualties: in Horsham District in a recent period there were 957 collisions causing injury to 1033 people of whom 185 (18%) were 65+. Killed: 26 of which 8 (30%) were 65+. Drivers responsible 65+: 313 casualties: 8 fatal: 88 seriously injured.

Older Drivers: fitness Physical agility, eyesight, hearing, and mental reaction time deteriorates with age. 2

Medication for long term conditions can affect performance. (some notifiable to DVLA) and for immediate conditions e.g. Ibuprofen, and anti-coagulants of prescription strength. : vulnerability Fragility of body and frame increasing with age makes injury more likely and more severe. : dangerous environment The local road network has rural roads connecting with and crossing faster main roads with many danger points. Night driving on rural unlit roads is a particular problem for the older driver.

Older Drivers extra care: road awareness Build a mental ‘bubble’ around the car you are driving keeping awareness of dangers at a distance. : self-awareness Seek other opinions on your three yearly self- assessment and on any perceived faults. Enrol in an ‘Experienced Driver Assessment’ (EDA) by application to the local authority. An Approved Driving Instructor will assess and discuss your driving with you giving you a personal report for your decision only (email: [email protected]) cost around £41.

QUESTIONS AND COMMENT FROM THE MEETING Drivers over 70 years are 57% of older drivers. Vulnerability of older people particularly evident at road junctions and with pedestrians. Public costs of road accidents increase with Older People’s injuries likely to be more severe and to accordingly involve emergency services response, police investigation, reports, hospital care and coroners court. Rudgwick and have contributed reports to the Road Safety Partnership website. (MM) (Rudgwick) difficulty getting on to the A281. Younger drivers impatient of older drivers (awareness of other drivers’ reactions useful) Night driving stressful – have given it up > Anti-glare glasses can be a help. (DR) Has voluntarily stopped driving due to a sight impairment although allowed by DVLA. > Becoming aware of what could be dangers and considering stopping driving, one should consult family and friends before the doctor. > Awareness of other drivers’ reactions to your driving is a useful indicator. > The ‘Experienced Driver’s Assessment’ is a personal help but is not recognised as a factor by Motor insurers. (CR) Speed limits are seen not to be respected Local signs can be put up with permission of highway authorities (WSCC). Traffic regulation orders: Parish Council ‘Highway’ recommendations to WSCC including evidence can gain restrictions on speed from them. (TD) Local transport facilities are needed to avoid older people being tempted into driving risks. (LB) Driverless cars: currently some testing on M25 at slow speeds. They will come.

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2. THE HOSPITAL INSIGHT PROJECT Sonia Mangan. CEO Age UK Horsham District The Project: To collect Horsham Older People’s experience of Hospital Care and after-care in all its aspects. Aspects include Out-patient appointments and travel; In-patient care visiting and travel; Care packages for after care; Coordination between Health and Social care Authorities and Coordination between different Districts of those authorities. Make recommendations to Health and District Authorities. Scope of the Project: General Hospital Care use from this district spreads over ten hospitals: South Coast: Brighton, Southlands, Worthing, Goring, Interior : Crawley, Redhill, Guildford, Haywards Heath, East Grinstead.

Participating in the Project: Horsham District Older Persons Forum + Age UK Horsham District + Healthwatch West Sussex, + West Sussex County Council. Official Statistics: Health care statistics touching on the interests of the Project are available at County level for 2015/2016 and the Statistics team are only too willing to break it down into districts given the stimulus of the Project and the additional anecdotal evidence being sought by the Project within the district. Some numbers 2015/2016: General Population: Horsham District 136,000 (2011 census 132,900) People over age 55 years 43% = 58,500 (hotspot Chanctonbury area 75% over 55) People over age 75 years = 14,625 (25% of over 55) Hospital admissions number : 14,500 individuals : 8,800 (5,700 admitted more than once) emergency : 57% were people over the age of 75. Travel distances (straight line) 26-30 Kilometers (18miles) hotspot Shipley & 23-26 Kilometers Rudgwick Hospital after-care 80% of emergency admissions and 90% of elective admissions require home after- care. Pressure on Community care in Horsham District is and has been at crisis point for several years. Care has become a big issue. Project evidence gathering Briefing Parish Councils Approach to Doctors’ Patient Participation Groups Community care workers contacts. Transport organisations contacts. Public Consultations Horsham 11th July (County Hall North); Steyning 13th July (Steyning Centre) In the form of an afternoon (1.45-4.30pm) of friendly discussion with cream tea. The Chairperson of the appropriate Clinical Commissioning Group will be at each meeting.

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QUESTIONS AND COMMENT FROM THE MEETING

> Carer Management: matching visits to home living: commercial efficiencies of scale do not fit with individual care in separate households. > Carers’ Training, Education and Pay: seen to need improvement and being debated at last. The Care Quality Commission inspects all providers of care. > Care Package on Hospital Discharge: arrangements between Hospital and Local Care with access to local care difficult to put in place and monitor at a distance. Experience of communication difficulties in dementia care. Common difficulties are coordinating packages for couples with needs identified at different times by different agencies. Of the care arranged in West Sussex the County provides only 30%: the remaining 70% is family arranged or by private commercial organisations. > Convalescent homes are a necessary step between acute care and care in the home. Helpful if these are not at a distance. > Assessment of care needs: can have waiting times which do not fit with urgency. > Long term planning: The Naylor Report looks into NHS provision in the next five years. What planning or scoping is there at County level for the care provision and facilities required? > Development of provision for the progress of young mentally impaired to adulthood is required. > What are Saxon Weald and Shaw Homes’ plans and how is the future viewed by our MPs Jeremy Quinn and Nick Herbert? > Working across borders: Local Enterprise Partnerships are organisations which are set up across existing borders. > What of Costs? A Care Home in £1000 per week. Visits 4 ½ hours total (morning, midday and evening) £770 per week private provision Hackney.

THE HORSHAM BLUEPRINT NEIGHBOURHOOD PLAN – Peter Lusher > Bus Survey discovered the need for a bus service between the Station and Swan Walk. > Bus Timetables are comprehensive to match the bus service but are within separate publications. Neither HDC nor WSCC are able to produce a coordinated single publication. Timetables are available at the Library. They are requested to be also available at Council Offices. > HDC Consultation for improvements to the Central Area should be advised that accommodation for the elderly – seats and toilets – are needed near to major facilities.

NOTICES Garden Party 1st June At Carers West Sussex. St Marks Lane. Dementia Care Talks 22 June 1-4 and 6-9 At Carers West Sussex St Marks Lane Horsham Patient Participation Group PUBLIC STALL Horsham Carfax : July ______NEXT MEETING : THURSDAY 31ST AUGUST 2017 VILLAGE HALL Coopers Way, Henfield

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