“Living Well in Later Life”: An Overview of the National Service Framework for Older People in England

ABSTRACT

The National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People is a set of standards produced by the Department of Health in England in 2001 to overhaul the health and social service delivery systems over a 10-year period aimed at optimizing the care received by older adults. The NSF arose from broader social and health care reforms that likewise sought the establishment of performance assessment, augmented consumer sovereignty, and greater coherence across health and social services. The United States shares with England similar problems with care for its older adults, strategies for improvement, and obstacles to successful implementation of change.

KEYWORDS:

• England (U.K.)
• health care
• quality of care
• social care

The author is grateful to Professor M. L. M. Gilhooly, who first made her aware of the policy changes about which this paper is written, and to the Institute of Gerontology, King's College, University of London, whose facilities enabled her to carry out this study. Research for this article was undertaken with support from a grant from the Faculty Research Fund, Rhode Island College.