Adults with Care Needs in Tower Hamlets

Key Findings:

We have encountered both positive and negative experiences of people’s experience with healthcare and social care services.

Care assessments key findings:

• Many of the people we spoke to did not know how to obtain a care assessment, which led to them not applying for help that they could have been eligible for. Older people who were not Internet-literate and people with a low level of English fluency found it the most difficult to find information.

Domiciliary care key findings:

• In most cases, most people that we spoke to have found carers (as individuals) useful and supportive. They felt much less supported, however, by care agencies and social care services. Receiving insufficient care time is a concern raised by several patients.
• In some cases, service users were able to obtain flexible care, adapted to their needs. This may empower them to continue leading an active lifestyle and socialise, to the extent of their abilities. In other cases, however, lack of flexibility on the part of carers and care agencies can constitute an obstacle to socialising or attending community events; rendering people who would otherwise be able to take part practically house-bound.

Hospital services key findings:

• Many users with care needs are unsatisfied with the hospital transport service provided by the Royal London Hospital. At our January 19 visit, we have learned that out-patients using hospital transport to return home after medical appointments or treatments such as kidney dialysis may wait for over one hour to be picked up. Inpatients leaving the hospital may wait in excess of two hours. However, patients were broadly happy with the quality of the transport service.

GP services key findings:

• Continuity of care and developing a personal relation with GP surgery staff is particularly important for the elderly. According to some respondents, a GP who sees the same patients regularly and knows their medical history well is better empowered to identify their care needs and connect them with relevant community resources.

Active lifestyles key findings:

• The top activities named as things they enjoyed doing in their free time were reading, watching TV, walking (alone or in groups) and taking part in activities in local community centres. They also took part in befriending activities.

Social isolation and loneliness key findings:

• Lack of adequate social care can be an important contributing factor in isolating people with care needs; several of the people we spoke to felt that, with better support, they could feel less lonely.