patients

Care Opinion

An independent site about personal experiences of UK health services, good or bad. It is about honest and meaningful conversations between patients and health services.
Previously known as Patient Opinion

Stronger collective voice for people with dementia

A growing number of people with dementia in the UK are becoming actively involved in groups to try to influence services and policies affecting people with dementia. The Dementia Engagement & Empowerment Project (DEEP) was a one-year investigation aiming to highlight groups and projects involving people with dementia. The report offers specific ways forward for organisations wishing to engage with people with dementia. Resource published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation in October 2012. Summary and full report available.

Continuity of care for older hospital patients: a call for action

Paper that focuses on the experiences of older people with multiple health problems, and particularly on their experiences inside hospital. Continuity is especially important for these older patients because: they are more likely to spend time in hospital and to be in hospital for longer; if they are frail, a stay in hospital can be life-changing; and, regrettably, in some hospitals and some wards older patients are exposed to unacceptable standards of care.

Individual patient budgets: background and frequently asked questions (Policy paper 1)

Following Lord Darzi’s pledge to pilot direct payments and individual budgets in health care, this paper provides a brief background to the concept and principles of these ways of working, before focusing in more detail on some frequently asked questions.

The paper is intended to help inform forthcoming pilots, and was initially commissioned by NHS West Midlands as part of their Investing for Health strategy.