Equipping the healthcare workforce to meet the complex health needs of older people in the community: a skills-led approach

Abstract

The shift towards delivering more clinical care in the community not only supports the healthcare system by avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions, but can also improve outcomes, particularly for older people with complex healthcare needs. Therefore, healthcare organisations need to consider how to ensure their workforce has the capabilities required to provide care in accordance with this new model. This article details a project that involved the design and development of a replicable Ageing Well programme of learning to increase knowledge, skills and confidence among registered and unregistered practitioners, underpinned by a ‘skills not roles’ strategy. Although evaluation of the programme is ongoing, the authors encourage its wider adoption by outlining its benefits, how the challenges encountered during this project were overcome and the learning points gained from the experience.