Supporting older people with complex health and social care needs: Developing an integrated care policy and research network

Global demographic shifts of increased life expectancy are a success of our times, yet for many, are accompanied by higher multi-morbidity and patient complexity (1). Research on older people with complex healthcare needs has evolved to focus not only on the ‘health’ domain but also on the interrelated ‘complex social’ care needs. This field remains underserved, with no agreed definition of ‘complex patients’ in the literature (2). The absence of a consensus definition and concept clarification presents a challenge for integrated care systems when developing policy and practice. Older populations with complex care needs often require high levels of support and resourcing, yet many encounter multiple challenges in accessing this support (3) and experience a poorer quality of life. Effective inclusive intervention approaches for this group are imperative, however, should also be outcome-focused and provide a support structure for the staff tasked with providing support. Who is this for? Are you a healthcare or social care practitioner, an operational manager, a social worker, nurse, policy-maker, who has experience or an interest in supporting older people with complex health and social care needs? Or are you a researcher, or academic with an interest in this topic or more broadly in developing policy, procedure or protocols? Aims and Objectives of the Networking: The overall aim of this networking session is to explore the feasibility of developing a research and policy network on how best to support older people with complex health and social care needs. The objectives are to explore and share: (i) interventions that work best for older people with complex health and social care needs; (ii) the impact of older people with complex health and social care needs on integrated care systems, (iii) the feasibility of agreeing a definition of complex health and social care needs; (iv) the feasibility of developing guidelines and policies that support an integrated approach to supporting older people who present with complex needs. Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) and co-design The voice of older people with complex health and social care needs are hard to reach for both research and policy. Therefore, we are particularly interested in exploring novel approaches to meaningfully engaging with this population. A short presentation will be given highlighting the multi-dimensional nature of the topic along with a number of case examples to focus the collaborative discussion. Facilitators: The networking will be led by Dr Austin Warters and co-facilitated by Dr Aurelia Ciblis. References (1)Nicolaus S, Crelier B, Donzé JD, Aubert CE. Definition of patient complexity in adults: A narrative review. Journal of Multimorbidity and Comorbidity. 2022 Feb 17;12. Available from: doi:10.1177/26335565221081288 (2)Kaneko H, Hanamoto A, Yamamoto-Kataoka S, Kataoka Y, Aoki T, Shirai K, Iso H. Evaluation of Complexity Measurement Tools for Correlations with Health-Related Outcomes, Health Care Costs and Impacts on Healthcare Providers: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2022 Dec 1;19(23):16113. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192316113 (3)NICE Guideline NG216. Social work with adults experiencing complex needs. 2022 May 26. Available from: www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng216