Integrated Care for Older Adults: A Case Study of Westport Care Centre

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Supporting the Individual Journey through Integrated Health
and Social Care
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Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Task 1.........................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................8
Reference List............................................................................................................................9
Appendix A..............................................................................................................................10
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Introduction
The term “Integrated care” in health and social care signifies a comprehensive care model
designed to meet specific unmet needs of the individuals. Often it is challenging for care
providers to offer high-quality care to an individual requiring multidisciplinary care. In other
words, it becomes difficult to work alone, and therefore there is a need for combining
multiple service provisions. The report will be based on a care organisation located in Tower
Hamlet, a borough of London. A detailed account of the way the organisation works in the
partnership will be outlined. Thereafter, the unmet needs of an individual who requires
multidisciplinary care shall be examined as well. A case study of Florence, an 80-year-old
lady, has been considered. She is suffering from arthritis, dementia and hypertension.
Therefore, the services and provisions given in Westport Care Centre shall be analysed that
in turn can help in meeting the needs of the individual.
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Task 1
LO1. Examine the healthcare and support services available to an individual requiring
multidisciplinary care.
In Tower Hamlet Borough, London, local services and provisions in healthcare settings are
provided by using a partnership based approach. By utilising this approach, it is easier for
care organisations to reduce the cost of the intervention. Mainly, in the case of service users
aged above 60 and living alone requires integrated care. In this borough, care provisions for
older people are present. The borough consists of various community day centres, adult social
care services and care and support services for children and families. The Westport Care
Centre is one such residential care home within Tower Hamlet.
Figure 1: London Borough of Tower Hamlet
(Source: Demand, 2019)
The Westport Care Centre consists of 44-beds especially for people suffering from Dementia,
and most of the residents in this care home are from Tower Hamlets
(Healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk, 2019). Nevertheless, residents from Camden and Islington
also reside within the care centre. The residents mostly in their 70s require support such as
medication aids, help with eating and other personal needs.
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While providing services, one of the key challenges or issues faced is working with the GP.
Moreover, while working in partnership with East One Health, the organisation faced several
issues (Towerhamlets.gov.uk, 2019). For example, the communication gap and issues related
to the discharge of patients are quite common.
Unmet needs of individuals in Tower Hamlet Borough of London
In this local area, older people often face challenges while assessing social and healthcare
services. It is their right to live an independent and dignified life; however, most of them face
problems while carrying out daily tasks like bathing, eating or preparing meals (Naylor et al.,
2017). Hence, in-home assistance is required for these service users. In some cases, the
assessors who arrive for interviewing the old people often do not understand the social care
and disability needs of the patients. The actual need of the care users often remains unnoticed
due to lack of understanding of the assessors.
Additionally, the safety needs of the individuals are compromised. The patients often
complain about “improper assessments”. The common syndromes and the consequent unmet
needs of older people in Tower Hamlet Borough are as follows-
 Visual impairment- Almost 300-340 old-aged people residing in Tower Hamlet have
visual impairment. Due to age, these individuals are unable to live their life
independently (Towerhamlets.gov.uk, 2019).
 Mental Illness- Due to ageing, mental illness is one of the common conditions faced
by older people. They suffer from emotional and psychological distress due to issues
related to loneliness, bereavements and loss of independence. Almost 60% of
residents who have been admitted to various hospitals tend to suffer from mental
illness. The common forms of mental disorders include depression and delirium as
well.
 Long term health conditions- Residents of Tower hamlet get admitted to hospitals
since they are also diagnosed with long term health conditions like stroke, chronic
pulmonary disease, coronary heart disease as well as diabetes.
 Cancer- One of the largest causes of premature death is cancer, and it is quite
common among individuals aged less than 75 years. Hence, cancer treatment should
be treated as a priority in this locality.
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 Falls or sudden accidents- An estimated amount of 4320 aged people have been
reported to suffer from sudden injuries and falls (Towerhamlets.gov.uk, 2019). Old
men, as well as women, usually suffer from fractures and severe accidents.
 Inability to manage domestic tasks- In 2015, reportedly 6,571 people residing in
Tower Hamlets was unable to carry out their domestic duties effectively. The
domestic tasks usually involved washing clothes, cleaning floors and windows and
household shopping and dealing with personal affairs.
Case Study and services available in the care setting
Florence, an 80-year-old lady, has been suffering from hypertension, arthritis and dementia
and has been recently admitted in Westport Care Centre. She has been suffering from feelings
of isolation and loneliness and hence requires support and treatment from care workers. After
getting admitted, she has been feeling unwell. Here, the GP can come to her aid by
diagnosing the medical reasons for her condition (Parker and Penhale, 2018). Moreover, in
Westport Care Centre, patient-centred care is provided, and therefore the side effects of
medication are considered before prescribing it to the patient.
Additionally, her family members can be informed about her deteriorating health condition
from time-to-time. Further, CQC Registered Manager is present to provide care, and they
have the legal responsibility of following the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Cqc.org.uk,
2019). Generally, Westport Care Centre receives positive reviews from service users and
their family members. The Registered Manager also receives positive reviews from service
users because an “open-door” policy is used in the care home to allow patients to approaches
service providers whenever necessary.
Figure 2: Westport care centre
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(Source: Excel care, 2019)
In the residential home, maximum control and choice are provided to the residents and
policies are not restrictive. Before, devising a care plan, the service user is involved and
therefore, it can be stated that the healthcare needs of Florence can be met only after taking
her consent.
In Westport Care Centre, residents are provided Short term care, Long term Care and Rehab
Therapy. Short term care is given to service users, and it is ensured that the residents get
recovered quickly. Long term care is given to patients who have dementia and who reside in
the care home. Lastly, Rehab therapy is also provided to ensure that service users become
independent, gain mobility and be able to meet their medical needs.
In order to meet the specific needs of Florence, the services in Westport Care Centre can be
effective. It is one of the UK’s leading care provider, and services are therefore tailored
according to the needs of the elderly service users. A partnership-based approach is used to
treat patients competently and sensitively. The service users are also protected from all kinds
of abuse and neglect. The various types of care available in the residential home that can help
meet Florence’s needs are as follows-
Nursing Care- Nursing care is provided to old patients like Florence who might be suffering
from complex physical needs. She has been suffering from Arthritis and therefore requires
physical assistance as well as greater support (Urden et al., 2017). This, in turn, will help her
in free mobility.
Specialist Needs- Individuals suffering from pulmonary disorders, stroke, cancer, muscular
or skeletal diseases or coronary heart diseases have special needs, and Westport care centre is
dedicated to conducting further research to treat patients. In order to meet the needs of
Florence, it is essential for service providers to be dedicated towards meeting the needs of the
individuals.
Dementia Care- The individuals who have dementia is also given special support and
guidance in Westport Care Centre. These individuals are treated with respect and dignity in
the care setting. Since Florence also has dementia; her needs will be taken care of. In the care
centre, staff training is provided by specialists in the field. The working culture in the care
setting promotes patient-centred care. The primary aim is to provide a meaningful life to the
service users (Livingston et al., 2017). With the help of Electronic care system, dementia
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patients are given competent support (Excelcare, 2019). Further, the use of Anti-Psychotic
medication is not allowed in the care setting.
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Conclusion
The report has been written to examine the care and support services available for a service
user requiring integrated or multidisciplinary care. In the context of Tower Hamlet Borough
of London, the entire report has been explained. It has been noted that older people residing
in Tower Hamlet has specific unmet needs that require immediate care and guidance from
service providers. A case study of an individual who requires complete care has been
considered. The individual has been suffering from dementia, arthritis and hypertension.
Hence, the services available in Westport Care Centre to meet her specific needs have been
outlined in the report. Westport Care Centre has received positive reviews or feedbacks from
service users and local authorities. Hence, it can be concluded that the long term and short
term needs of the individual can be met by utilising various services available in the care
setting.
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Reference List
Cqc.org.uk. 2019. Westport Care Centre. [online] Available at:
https://www.cqc.org.uk/location/1-124584209/reports [Accessed 12 Apr. 2019].
Demand, L. 2019. London: Tower Hamlets Borough Map - Stanfords Print on Demand.
[online] Stanfords. Available at: http://www.stanfords.co.uk/London-Tower-Hamlets-
Borough-Map-Stanfords-Print-on-Demand_9786000002046 [Accessed 12 Apr. 2019].
Excelcare. 2019. Care for People Living with Dementia -. [online] Available at:
http://www.excelcareholdings.com/dementia/ [Accessed 12 Apr. 2019].
Healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk. (2019). [online] Available at:
https://www.healthwatchtowerhamlets.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Westport-Care-
Centre-Enter-View-Report-Final.pdf [Accessed 12 Apr. 2019].
Livingston, G., Sommerlad, A., Orgeta, V., Costafreda, S.G., Huntley, J., Ames, D., Ballard,
C., Banerjee, S., Burns, A., Cohen-Mansfield, J. and Cooper, C., 2017. Dementia prevention,
intervention, and care. The Lancet, 390(10113), pp.2673-2734.
Naylor, C., Taggart, H. and Charles, A., 2017. Mental health and new models of care.
Parker, J. and Penhale, B., 2018. Forgotten people: Positive approaches to dementia care.
Routledge.
Towerhamlets.gov.uk. 2019. [online] Available at:
https://www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/Documents/Public-Health/Action_On_Loneliness_in_Care
_Homes.pdf [Accessed 12 Apr. 2019].
Urden, L.D., Stacy, K.M. and Lough, M.E., 2017. Critical care nursing: diagnosis and
management. Elsevier Health Sciences.
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Appendix A
Bio-data of the patient
Name- Florence Smith
Age- 80 years
Gender – Female
Interests- Socializing and gardening
Over-view of the care needs
Florence is suffering from hypertension, dementia and arthritis. She also suffers from feelings
of loneliness or isolation. Therefore, she requires residential care. She also requires physical
assistance and specialised care.
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