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As election manifestos start to take shape, we are keen to meet politicians from all parties to discuss the best ways of providing high quality care for our ageing population.

Our particular emphasis will be on the needs of older people with multiple conditions. It is important that we communicate the holistic nature of geriatric medicine and demonstrate that geriatricians, working as part of a multi-disciplinary team, deliver better outcomes for frail older people. These may be understood as preventing a hospital admission; reducing length of stay in both hospitals and long-term residential care settings; and ensuring dignity in care.

The Autumn Meeting in Harrogate provided an excellent forum for discussion of optimum models of care. Ian Philp, as Parliamentary Affairs (England) Lead, sought views from delegates. A key theme was the importance of working in partnership with other professionals within primary, secondary and social care. There was consensus that this involved not just respecting boundaries, but also having the vision and determination to work across them as necessary for the benefit of older people.

The care home sector is a case in point. Our immediate priority is to work closely with other professional bodies to agree a comprehensive multi-disciplinary approach to providing sustainable health care services for residents.

A number of members have agreed to act as BGS Leads on a wide range of topics. There is an up to date list within the PR section of the BGS website (and opposite). These expert spokespeople provide comment and analysis if requested by journalists, policy-makers and other organisations.

We have contributed to the Stroke Association’s consultation on its strategy for the next five years, with assistance from our Stroke Lead, David Barer. We stressed the need for a greater focus on community rehabilitation and ensuring that stroke patients have access to specialist multi-disciplinary rehabilitation teams.

We continue to raise awareness of issues of concern to members through working with the media. Recent highlights include Duncan Forsyth being interviewed as part of a Channel 4 News report regarding medication given to care home residents; BBC Radio York broadcasting live from the conference centre in Harrogate with the breakfast show presenter speaking to Adrian Wagg and Linda Patterson about the definition of ‘geriatrics’; and David Oliver’s letter in The Daily Telegraph welcoming the Equality Bill.

Sinead O'Mahony coordinated a British Council for Ageing submission to a House of Lords Inquiry into the setting of funding priorities for scientific and technological research in the current economic climate. We argued that trying to understand human ageing and minimise its detrimental effects on individuals requires investment, but that the relative cost pales into insignificance compared to the costs of age-related disease and the missed opportunities of failing to benefit from older people’s talents and potential.

The Royal Society of Medicine Specialty Careers Fair took place in October. BGS members manning the Geriatrics and Gerontology stand encouraged a new generation of medical students to consider what they could contribute to the specialty.

Iona-Jane Harris
BGS Press, PR and Parliamentary Affairs Officer

BGS Newsletter, November 2009
Issue 24 ISSN 1748-634000 24