Our work was nationally acknowledged on 22nd November at a glittering award ceremony held in the west end, when we picked up the award for Service Delivery: Care of Older People at the Guardian Public Services Awards 2011.

Impressed

ACK’s Chair, Anne Cann, has been involved with the organisation as a volunteer for over 35 years.  She said: ‘This year Age Concern Kingston marked 65 years since its formation.  Winning this award is great acknowledgement for our staff and volunteers, particularly Grace Shorthouse, whose Fit as a Fiddle project really impressed the judges.’

The project helped 166 people over the age of 50 lose weight, improve their balance and get fitter – all whilst having fun and making friends - as a result of attending one of the free Fit as a Fiddle courses run by Age Concern Kingston last year.

Age Concern Kingston has helped thousands of older people get fitter since it started running exercise and healthy lifestyle courses in the Borough in 2007, under the FAAF banner since April last year.  The benefits of this work have recently been confirmed by a leading European research and consultancy company.  Ecorys were commissioned by the administrator of the programme’s Big Lottery funding to evaluate Kingston’s FAAF programme.

Return on investment

The researchers used a form of cost benefit analysis known as Social Return on Investment to evaluate the social value of the programme.  This looked at, for example, the potential savings to the NHS for treatment of fall related accidents, if fewer people fell as a result of taking part in FAAF.  Their report concluded that for every £1 invested in FAAF, there was a ‘social return on investment’ of £3.50.

ACK, whose vision is to make later life a greater life, is now seeking funding to continue this activity after the funding runs out next April.

For more information on FAAF, or to book on a course starting in January, call Grace Shorthouse on 020 8942 8256.

The Guardian Public Services Awards, which are run in partnership with Hays, set out to showcase innovation and best practice across Whitehall, local government, the NHS and beyond. 

What’s in a name?

Age Concern Kingston upon Thames is not AGE UK

AGE UK is the new, national charity created by the merger of Age Concern England with Help the Aged.  We, Age Concern Kingston, have always been an independent organisation – a registered charity and a Company Limited by Guarantee, whose origins go back to 1946.  We were subscribers to the federation of Age Concerns, which as a result of the merger has now been dissolved.

Back in May, we decided not to take up the offer of joining AGE UK.  We felt the brand licence agreement that was offered was overly restrictive, yet lacking in detail.  We feel the new AGE UK brand has a strong corporate focus – one that needs to compete with other big national corporate brands; this would compromise who we are and what we do.  Our users are primarily concerned with local issues and local services.  We believe AGE UK’s corporate focus would dilute our local focus and undermine our ability to work with local older people to develop our organisation in their interests.

Age Concern Kingston upon Thames is our legal charity and company name and at present we have no plans to change this.  However, AGE UK has certain legal rights to the Age Concern name and logo.  If we are forced to change our name,we will ensure that we maximise the opportunities that this opens up for us.

The history of Age Concern Kingston stretches back over 65 years; an organisation founded by local people to help and support people in their own community.  Over this time we have evolved and thrived.  Working with older people, we have won awards, raised standards, delivered popular quality services, as well as achieving numerous external accreditations.  Over the years this has allowed us to develop a high level of distinctiveness – a distinction that the new AGE UK brand would only mask.

Age Concern Kingston is, and always has been, an independent charitable enterprise, dynamically delivering both free and paid for services.  We believe that maintaining our individual local identity is really important, and is the best way to continue to get support from the community now and in the future.

It is our intention to cooperate with, and support, AGE UK – nationally it is vital that older people have a strong voice.  Regionally we are still members of AGE UK London.

We are aware that these changes are not easily explained, but the key point is: we continue to be an independent charitable organisation, providing services which benefit local people.

We will continue to evolve and thrive; we will continue to focus on building local partnerships with the council, Your Healthcare, Kingston NHS and with other voluntary organisations who share our aims and objectives.

What do you think? Get in touch and let us know...

Many have been shocked by the Tottenham riot in early August and the sporadic looting and disturbances that followed across 22 London boroughs and throughout the country. While the underlying reason for this destructive behaviour has been overly simplified as 'pure criminality', the correlation between the areas of looting and children living in poverty sends a clear message, highlighting divisions within society.

The Prime Minister puts the blame for societal breakdown on ‘irresponsibility, selfishness, broken families, schools without discipline, reward without effort, crime without punishment and rights without responsibility’.

There are said to be around 5,000 children in Kingston living in poverty; many young people believe they face a bleak future with few prospects for improvement. Over the last few years the country has witnessed cuts in university places, an increase in tuition fees, the closure of youth services and the removal of the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA). Future years will see children from low income families less likely to achieve university places. 

While Kingston escaped the destruction seen elsewhere, there remains a need to build further on community cohesion. A growing sense of disconnection within the community is felt not only by young people but equally those who are older. The retired population is an overlooked resource, perfectly suited to support the young to develop self esteem and personal ambition. Yet despite the experience they possess, many people hit retirement and find themselves unexpectedly marginalised and without a sense of purpose.

Age Concern Kingston has a strong track record of bringing young and old together – indeed in 2007 we received the Queen’s Award for our Age and Youth school-based work. For over the past ten years we have supported volunteers in raising youth confidence and helping individuals to reach their goals and ambitions.

Our current project, A Significant Other, creates partnerships between retired men and boys who find secondary school life daunting, are not achieving academically and may be at risk of exclusion. All too often these young men are from fractured backgrounds and lack positive male role models in their lives; A Significant Other strives to counter this. This simple yet effective intervention: the presence of someone who takes a dedicated interest in a young individual -protects against the isolation and depression associated with under-achievement. We believe that people are able to change. With the right support our young people can start to think positively, broaden their horizons and take ownership of their futures. This process takes time, dedication, and commitment, and changes are likely to be noticed over years rather than overnight.

Age Concern Kingston’s StayWell programme has been highlighted as an example of good practice in a report published by the All Party Parliamentary Group on Housing and Care for Older People.

The StayWell programme currently works with seven local GP practices.  Practice managers screen patient lists looking for older people with risk indicators, e.g. taking four or more prescribed medications or known to be socially isolated.  With the patient’s permission, Age Concern Kingston will then contact them to offer practical support and advice which can help people stay living independently and safely in their own homes as they grow older.

Dr Charles Alessi, Senior Partner at Kingston’s Churchill Medical Practice, was one of Age Concern Kingston’s original partners in the programme.  He said: ‘Our relationship with Age Concern Kingston (as an innovative player in the third sector) is very consistent with our philosophy as a practice of trying to develop positive strategic relationships with key players that can benefit the long term care of our population.’

The Living Well At Home Inquiry concludes that relatively modest investments in helping people remain independent – that little bit of help in the home or quite simple adaptations, from hand rails to stair lifts – can save the costs and traumas of moving into residential care.  And safer, more accessible, homes can help the NHS with fewer accidents, fewer patients in hospital, early discharge and fewer expensive re-admissions.

Age Concern Kingston’s Chief Executive, Shane Brennan, said: ‘We’re delighted that our local work has once again been recognised at a national level, further evidence that preventive interventions such as StayWell work.’

Kingston council has finally revealed its spending plans for 2011-12 and beyond.  The adult social care budget of £47 million is to be cut by almost £2 million from April, with further cuts amounting to a total of £3.8 million in 2012-15.  Savings are being sought in services for older and disabled people, through changes in the way such services are paid for and in cuts to existing services.

By June, 3,000 people who currently receive council-provided day, home or residential care services, will be given a personal budget with which to pay for their care, says Kingston Council’s Simon Pearce.

http://www.scie.org.uk/publications/reports/report40/index.asp

Further reading

http://policy.helptheaged.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/40C4685D-C817-4792-856C-EB0BCCF3EA4D/0/PersonalisationinpracticelessonsfromexperienceOct10FINAL.pdf

The unpleasant phrase ‘bed blocking’ has hit the headlines again, with recent figures showing that 2,575 hospital beds are unavailable nationally due to ‘delayed transfers of care’.  Re-admission rates are also on the rise.  As a result the Department of Health has announced that an extra £162 million will be made available to local health and care services to spend this financial year on front line services.

The extra money is supposed to be spent on helping people to leave hospital more quickly, get settled back at home with the support they need, and to prevent unnecessary admissions to hospital.  However, in Kingston’s case, agenda has been informed that in reality there is no ‘new’ money, as savings have had to be made in other areas of Kingston NHS spending in order to make these funds available.

Making the announcement, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley highlighted the additional needs of older people, who often need extra support after a hospital stay to settle back into their homes, recover their strength and regain their independence.  People may be prevented from returning home due to delays in installing equipment and adaptations which are essential for their rehabilitation.

The Department of Health is urging Primary Care Trusts and local councils to spend money on preventative services which help people live independently, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions, and on ‘reablement’ services to help people regain their independence.

Reablement, ongoing support and laughter: Mr P's story 

Mr P was discharged from Kingston Hospital following treatment for cancer.  Age Concern Kingston’s Home Response team visited him with an initial shop to ensure he had food in the house.  We also collected his prescription from the pharmacy and set up a delivery service for further prescriptions with his local chemist.  Following an assessment we were able assist him in completing forms for taxi card and blue badges, so that he can get out and about independently.  We also helped him to contact a local cleaning company to arrange for a cleaner to clean his flat.

With his permission we referred him to ACKUT’s advice team for an income maximization check.  Our advisor assisted him in a claim for Attendance Allowance, which he was awarded at the higher rate, currently £71.40 a week.  We also referred him to the In Touch telephone service.  The first time he talked to our In Touch worker, Mr P was not feeling too well, as he suffers from dizzy spells.  At the end of the conversation he said, ‘I haven’t laughed so much for a long time.’  Mr P now enjoys a friendly fortnightly chat, which has proved a vital social contact as he is often unable to go out because of his illness.

Through In Touch we discovered that Mr P was unable to change the time on his clocks when they went back in the winter as his illness prevented him from standing for long enough.  A Home Response volunteer was able to visit and do this for him.  Mr P said that the support from ACKuT changed his life.  The regular contact with In Touch will help ensure that Mr P is put in touch with other services that could support him as his needs change.

The advice to anyone who receives a possible scam offer is: ‘Stop, think, and think again.’  Do not be rushed into giving money straight away to someone you do not know. Think again. If you are unsure, speak to family or friends or seek advice.

• Scams are smart. Prove you’re smarter. Don’t act without advice!
• If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Pass on the warnings. Tell your friends and family if you discover a scam.
• Your actions may help protect others from becoming a scam victim.
• If you are unsure of an offer, speak to family or friends, and seek advice from Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 or visit and report scams to www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/scams.
• Ring First Contact at Age Concern Kingston to speak to an adviser on 020 8408 8170.

Mr B is 81 and lives on his own in New Malden.  He asked us to let people know what happened to him.

One Saturday a young man knocked at his front door and asked for his telephone number as he said that Mr B’s neighbour wanted to talk to him.

A short time later, Mr B received a call from someone saying he was his neighbour and telling him that there was damp in the loft which needed to be fixed immediately.  Mr B said that he needed to speak to his son the following week.  The caller said Mr B was legally responsible for the damp which needed to be fixed that day and that it would cost £2,000.  Mr B said he did not have this amount of money in the house and that his bank was closed on a Saturday.  The caller told Mr B that the bank in Wimbledon was open and that they would arrange for a taxi to take him there.

Mr B duly went to Wimbledon and withdrew £2,000 from his bank.  As he was returning to the taxi, he was approached by a young man who said he was working for the company which was going to carry out the work at his house and he asked for the money.  Mr B gave him the £2,000.  When Mr B returned home he told his son what had happened.  They spoke to the neighbour, who knew nothing about the damp, or the company.  They called the police.  Mr B was the victim of a scam and has lost his £2,000.

Age Concern Kingston’s Chief Executive, Shane Brennan, was a member of a delegation of public service delivery charities which have warned the Prime Minister about the impact of cuts on the voluntary sector at a meeting to discuss their role in the reform of public services.

Members of the National Council for Voluntary Organisation’s Public Service Delivery Network met David Cameron and other ministers, including Greg Clark, the decentralisation minister, and Francis Maude, the Cabinet Office minister, at 10 Downing Street in January.

Shane’s main aim was to give the ministers a flavour of the potential of a local, community-embedded organisation such as Age Concern Kingston in delivering innovative public services.

Afterwards Shane said: ‘This invitation demonstrates that the quality of Age Concern Kingston’s work has been recognised at the highest level.  I was able to explain to the Prime Minister that Kingston Borough is unique in that we have already made headway in developing our own local agenda for reform of health and social care.  At Age Concern Kingston we have strong relationships with GPs, with the council and with the NHS and we are all committed to working for better outcomes for residents.  It is vital that budgetary cuts are not allowed to undermine or destabilise the good work that is being done.’

Shane Brennan has been with Age Concern Kingston upon Thames for 11 years and has been CEO since 2005.

Nick Hurd, the Minister for Civil Society, paid a visit in November to The Bradbury Active Age Centre. He was accompanied by Peter Wanless, Chief Executive of The Big Lottery Fund.

Nick Hurd is at the forefront of the Government’s plans for the ‘Big Society’, which aims to give charities, social enterprises and voluntary organisations a greater role in the provision of community services