ENS4Care: Evidence Based Guidelines for Nurses and Social Care Workers for the deployment of eHealth services

From the ENS4Care website:

“Innovative, high quality, safe and cost-effective national healthcare systems are dependent upon policy-makers and stakeholders developing and implementing high-quality eHealth services”
(Sheikh et al., 2011)

This is particularly the case under the current social and economic situation plaguing EU Member States. ENS4Care is designed as response to this need with an ultimate aim of contributing to an evidence based deployment of eHealth services in the EU and Europe. While Member States are individually striving to respond to a growing demand for quality, safety, equity and access, they are at the same time challenged to be innovative with regards to the sustainability of their healthcare system. Furthermore, in order to render health and social protection more adequate and sustainable, there is a need to invest in health and social care staff´s skills and capabilities to support people in need (Social Investment Package, 2013). The identification of these skills together with the exchange of good, innovative, implemented and cost-effective solutions and approaches is increasingly needed. In this context, the policy initiatives set out in the Digital Agenda ensure that the European Commission, closely cooperates with EU Member States, and different stakeholders, are the driving forces to making clear implementation proposals in the field of eHealth services. http://www.ens4care.eu/projects/policy/

My source: GANM (Global Alliance for Nursing and Midwifery)

At a glance 65: Better Life for older people with high support needs: the role of social care

I am referencing the following as I struggle to complete a piece of work for the TEL course. These key messages resonate with Hodges' model (back to work....):

Published: May 2014

Key messages

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation has identified seven key challenges to be addressed for older people with high support needs to achieve a better quality of life. Social care has a key role to play in meeting these challenges.

1. Old age is not about 'them': it is about all of us
2. Older people are individuals and they are, as a group, becoming more diverse
3. Relationships matter to us whatever our age; we have a fundamental human need to connect with others meaningfully
4. Older people with high support needs have many assets, strengths and resources that they can also bring to the development and provision of services
5. Whatever our age or support needs, we should all be treated as citizens: equal stakeholders with both rights and responsibilities
6. The individual and collective voices of older people with high support needs should be heard and given power
7. We need both to innovate and improve existing models

SCIE's role is to share knowledge about what works and use this to produce practical resources. Many of these resources will support people working in all aspects of social care to address these challenges.

http://www.scie.org.uk/index.aspx