Health & NHS

Good quality GP, hospital, and ambulance services.
Timely treatment given with courtesy and respect.
Information available on paper & digital formats.
Good quality integrated care and health facilities
Face to face services & appointments. Easy and accessible phone lines.

• Real concerns re continuous erosion of NHS services over recent years. Lack of beds. Lack of funding, staff vacancies- undignified experiences especially in A and E.
• Expediting hospital discharge too much of a pre occupation. Leads to readmissions, discharge to carers who are unprepared/ not enough home care once home.
• Amalgamation of Strategic Health Authorities with E and W Sussex in danger of Brighton and Hove resident needs being overlooked. E.g. of closure of dementia beds at Mill View Hospital, saying we can go to Uckfield or Worthing(!)We welcome our inclusion on Health Overview Scrutiny Committee - need genuine voice/ listening.
• An ageing population, people living longer often quoted as being responsible for the problems and crisis in the NHS.
• Lack of access to GPS
• IT or phone access to GP appointments. health services, prescriptions -very difficult for many older people, especially those without IT access.
• Good end of life service through local hospices for people with cancer, but desperately in need of funding and needs extension to people with other conditions.

Adult Social Care

• Impact of strategy now will affect future generations of Older People. Need Council to think long term. Younger people & potential carers not being able to afford to live in Brighton and Hove, with a rising older population.
• Are services for older people being sidelined or further privatised? Emphasis on competing needs of other groups of vulnerable people?
• What is happening with Knoll House? - was built as a hub for older people in older people’s estate. Is it still for older people. Closed v. suddenly without consultation. Now to re-open but not for older people.
• Dementia beds at Ireland Lodge proposed for closure through budget. To reopen but not for older people. No public consultation
• Craven Vale- day centre resource closed.
• Concern around budget - not filling vacant posts in in-house home care services.
• Once lost we will have difficulty regaining these council run services. Dangers of short-sighted commissioning- Lose all council run services allows less competition Private sector can command their price. ‘Value for money’ in short term can erode long term resilience of local services, and ability to respond to changing demographics/ needs. OPC members want council run, not for profit services too. Council could be more innovative about how to bring money in by running quality services for private payers as well as funded older people, rather than just privatising everything.
• Difficulties navigating / understanding the systems & financial implications of support options. Support needed for people to understand and navigate systems including full cost payers.
• Still having to repeat the same things and history to many different professional= all doing own ‘triaging’. All protecting hospital beds. Due to Dire straits of Health services- guard against a takeover by Health just focussed on clearing beds/ pressures in NHS. Need focus on quality of life, prevention, reducing isolation & Ageing Well. Discharging to ‘micro environments. (concerns voiced about further privatisation in commissioning- ‘cherry picking’ fewer complex cases rather than NHS investment).
• Building communities, reducing isolation and contact without expecting communities to support on purely voluntary basis.
• Serious Lack of Home Care Packages- people waiting weeks
• Need assurance of quality of available care services- especially as CQC withdrawing from frequency of site visits.
• Unpaid carer support/ respite/ relief needed (W. Sx have a scheme?).
• Workforce strategy needed- recruitment- understand serious shortages and difficulty in recruitment- need valuing, promotion as a career, fair pay- especially after covid experience of workers. Liaison with Trade Unions needed by council and care providers.
• Shortage of reasonably priced \care services esp. Care Homes. How often are LA paying over agreed maximum fees for the LA to pay? What are the maximums we pay currently? National issues of high care costs reflected here? (private payers supporting LA funded places??). We want not for profit and Council run services wherever possible (as per ruling group manifesto). Value for Money assessments to be also around staff pay, terms and conditions, and ageing well- social capital,
• Social Care to link and promote reduction of social isolation. Including council tackling causes/ contributory factors of isolation- some mentioned above. Impact of loss of day services with door-to-door transport needs review.

Housing

Sufficient, affordable, adaptable homes.
Affordable repair service locally available.
A good proportion of new build homes to be suitable for older residents.
Sufficient suitable homes available to downsize within our existing communities.

• Increasing numbers of older renters. But hard to get places to rent for older people. Discrimination.
• Older People often want to downsize but don’t want to move from their communities. Need mixed housing in local areas to enable downsizing. Need accessible housing in new builds.
• Mixed and accessible housing is needed in communities so older people can downsize within their own community early enough, (it was agreed there is lack of support and information) prior to housing becoming unsuitable.
• Encouragement to consider a move before crisis - have to be opportunities. Resilience planning in housing.
• Need opportunities to reduce isolation in communities.
• Affordable housing for older people and for younger members of our families. If younger members cannot stay in the City, this impacts on our isolation, also potentially longer term on demand for social care.
• Mixed accessible accommodation across generations is welcome as well as some specifically for older people.Accommodation for older people near facilities, shops and communities.
• Enough proportions in the city of cheaper, central, sheltered accommodation are needed where we still have access to facilities, services and city.
• All new builds need to be accessible. Attendees cited concerns raised from previous meetings such as power points not at ground level, storage for mobility scooters, accessible bathrooms.
• Mixed housing that meets the needs in the city: of its residents whether older people, families or young, supporting community, and overall design optics. Consistency of quality of design, integrated planning and balancing this with the human need for a pleasing environment and respect for our green spaces and our natural environment … all agreed to be vital.
• Concern was raised) around exacerbation of isolation of older people in high rise and how small ground floor units are preferable for a number of reasons: attendees raising concerns about the negative impacts on health from some developments. A robust Equalities Impact Assessment of the City Plan was agreed to be essential. OPC are happy to be consulted on the EIA.
• Don’t build high rise without building communities. Learn from negative social impact of high rise in 1960s and 70s.
• Impact of student accommodation with no council tax coming in from landlords?? Adding to pressure on council budgets.? Press government to charge landlords. Maybe shouldn’t allow continuous university expansion.
• Attendees, while acknowledging the need for affordable housing, commented the City feels ‘full’ without enough infrastructure to support an ever-increasing population e.g. GP’s. Others commented on the immense need for affordable housing to keep younger people and key workers in the city.
• It was a moot point attendees discussed and agreed on that publicised monitoring and reviews were crucial and need to be thoroughly carried out to see if objectives of plans have been met.

Outdoors & Public Transport

• Environment to be pleasant, clean & obstruction free.
• Accessible public buildings.
• Access to sufficient number of clean toilets.
• Affordable, reliable transport.
• Sufficient bus stops for those who cant walk far.
• Ease of parking and affordable parking.
• We welcome many considerations about accessibility issues on B&H buses. Also continued opening of rail ticket offices.
• Need more bus stops in residential areas.
• Need shorter bus stop intervals.
• Need bus along seafront. Older people, and other with mobility issues are excluded from vibrant hubs of central seafront areas
• Too long distances between bus stops , especially from Old Steine to St. Peters Church- renders North Laines inaccessible. Also Churchill Sq to Waitrose on Western Rd renders shops along that stretch inaccessible.
• Concern about new seafront cycle paths reducing access by car and permanently ruling it out as a bus route?
• No beach access for people with mobility problems needs addressing urgently if a City promoting diversity and equalities.
• Door to door community transport eg for shopping is good, but very limited in terms of frequency and destinations.

Accessibility of the City and Services for Older People

• Toilets, we welcome the re-opening and upgrading of many public toilets. Longer opening hours are still needed.
• Mobility and Access-
• Many of us have mobility and other health issues which do not qualify us for disabled badges, but seriously limit our mobility, access and engagement.
• We need seats, fewer pavement obstacles,
• Seats are needed in North Laines, along central sea front (from Brighton Pier to West pier). Bench with handrails needed- Coldean 39 Acres. (This was greed but never implemented).
• Access to the beach needed- boarded or otherwise, to enable those with mobility problems, in wheelchairs or with buggies to access the beach. This is the City’s greatest asset and so many are excluded.
• Shops - need continued campaign for seating, toilets, staffed tills and human contact with staff who have understanding/ training. We welcome the Age Friendly City project, but council needs to lead better by example
• Safe pavements- tree roots & street furniture force many to walk on roads.
• Shared lanes with cyclists esp. e bikes and scooters are especially dangerous for older people. More enforcement needed for cyclists ignoring traffic signals/highway codes.
• We need help to be offered help at Council Wilson Ave refuse tip as many cannot negotiate the stairs.
• Collections from houses of bulky items- we often can’t put them outside!
• Adult social care information - hard to understand/ navigate what help and services may be available or entitled to.
• We need more joined up council services so we don’t have to keep repeating the same story or being passed around departments. Joined up with NHS too.

Community & Social Inclusion

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Accessible venues, wide range of events for all ages and suitable for diversity of older people. Information easily understandable & Accessible. Access to services and information without needing internet or smartphones Face to face services & appointments. Easy and accessible phone lines.

• A huge issue for older people in our city - figures/stats of people living alone. People reporting isolation
• Needs continued attention- Accessibility issues mentioned above impact to exacerbate isolation- also closely linked to housing and community development, health & transport issues.
• All are important factors as well as access to group activity opportunities.
• Isolation of those with highest level needs and their carers is widespread- lack of day services, carer support/ respite- needs continued attention.

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Communication & Social Isolation

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Easily read, understandable paper-based information.
Access to real people to speak to.
Listening and hearing our needs and concerns.

An accessible City with seats in public areas, toilets open throughout the day & evening, easy parking and public transport.

• A huge issue for older people in our city - figures/stats of people living alone. People reporting isolation
• Needs continued attention- Accessibility issues mentioned above impact to exacerbate isolation- also closely linked to housing and community development, health & transport issues.
• All are important factors as well as access to group activity opportunities.
• Isolation of those with highest level needs and their carers is widespread- lack of day services, carer support/ respite- needs continued attention

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IT & Digital exclusion

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• Inaccessibility of Services by calling in - too minimal reception/ face to face help- or to talk on phone is made difficult- Many older people need face to face and phone contact. Not just through IT, paper. People helpful when do get through. Need access to understanding services available
• Help is available for IT access but needs greater publicity re how to access it, and needs alternative ways of contacting services.! Some people just cant face having to learn to fit in with an excluding society.
• We need help from a person, not just training for .us to use it
• Transport and Parking cheaper tickets if online. Needing phones/apps to park
• Needs consideration of people who don’t qualify for blue badges but have mobility or other health difficulties
• Parking by Smart-phone only - For Older people without, or who can’t manage, phones & poorer. This increases reluctance to go out, increases isolation and exclusion We welcome the return of some pay by card meters. This needs extending to all areas. We would like involvement in review of this.
• Visitor permits are really hard to apply for online.
• Parking permits hard to apply for - have to upload documents, then wrong size etc.Need to be able to take them in. Security concerns re amount of info held for parking permits. This appears to have improved recently for on line applications, but no encouragement of application in Council reception areas or by post. These alternatives need promoting.
• Visitor permits only for 24 hours - need shorter cheaper ones- s expensive, longer visitor permits stop people ‘popping in’- increasing isolation.
• Parking charges and fees relentlessly high. We Welcome revision of these, at least in car parks.

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Poverty

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• There remains an illusion that most older people are well off. That we had free education, our own houses, good pensions. This is true of some. There are huge numbers- need more data here of older people in our city where this is not the case. Poverty is particularly , and disproportionately, an issue for older people with other protected characteristics. Poverty is also a bigger issue for older people before reaching state pension age.
• Poverty can arise suddenly when partners die.
• Concern about high costs of private care and diminishing Council/ Health care providers
• Lack of take up of pension credit for those entitled. It is the most under-claimed benefit. Needs promotion. Support/ financial reviews. May find people paying full cost for care actually entitled to more help.
• Employment opportunities diminish through health issues and discrimination/ awareness raising is needed to make reasonable adjustments
• Support WASPI women’s campaign.
• against withdrawal of winter fuel allowance exacerbating poverty for poorer Pensioners not on pension credit.
• Stereotyping of well off pensioners, enabling government attack/erosion of benefits/concessions to be campaigned against.

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