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New programme and new approach to Transform Ageing in the UK
New programme and new approach to Transform Ageing in the UK
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New programme and new approach to Transform Ageing in the UK
UnLtd and partners launch Transform Ageing, a collaborative approach to inspire innovation in the health, wellbeing and social care sectors to achieve better outcomes for people in later life. UnLtd has partnered with the Design Council, the South West Academic Health Science Network and the Centre for Ageing Better to launch a new programme to revolutionise the health, wellbeing and social care for people in later life. Initially based in the South West of England and funded by Big Lottery, Transform Ageing will bring together social entrepreneurs, commissioners of health and care services and people in later life. Together they will support social entrepreneurs to design and deliver new solutions that involve the users and practitioners of the services. Transform Ageing aims to produce innovations in Somerset, Devon and Cornwall that will reduce demand for services through preventative approaches, tackle causes rather than symptoms and help people to be better prepared for the challenges of later life. UnLtd will be finding, funding and supporting social entrepreneurs with ideas to transform ageing and will work with healthcare commissioners to encourage adoption and generate impact. Transform Ageing is a partnership of expertise in finding solutions to the challenges presented by an ageing society: UnLtd is the leading provider of support to social entrepreneurs in the UK and offers the largest such network in the world. UnLtd resources hundreds of individuals each year directly through its core awards programme and hundreds more through a network of community-based partners. Design Council is a charity and is recognised as a leading authority on the use of strategic design. We use design as a strategic tool to tackle major societal challenges, drive economic growth and innovation, and improve the quality of the built environment. We address all aspects of design including product, service, user experience and design in the built environment. We are the UK government’s adviser on design. The South West Academic Health Science Network (SW AHSN) is one of fifteen networks established by NHS England to accelerate the development and adoption of innovation across the health and social care system. The Network is a membership organisation with partners drawn from a range of collaborating organisations across the south-west. The Centre for Ageing Better is an independent charitable foundation. It uses the results of major studies undertaken with people in later life, alongside existing research and the views of other organisations working in the field, to identify areas that are key to achieving a society in which everyone enjoys a good later life. Through a knowledge-based, collaborative effort to reimagine what it means to have a good later life, the programme will reshape the experience of ageing, breed systemic change and create a replicable, sustainable model for services all over the UK. Rt Hon Prof. Paul Burstow, former Minister of State for Care, said: “I am excited to be involved in the Transform Ageing programme and the real difference it can make to people in their later lives. Transform Ageing offers a practical approach to making communities in the south-west more age-ready. Using design innovation that starts with the experience of people in their later lives and taps into the energy of social entrepreneurs and the insight of health and local government to devise practical solutions. Above all, this programme has the potential to deliver new, scalable and sustainable solutions that meet the needs and aspirations of our ageing communities across the UK.†Mark Norbury, Chief Executive Office of UnLtd, said: “This new partnership will help to support and inspire social entrepreneurs who are addressing key issues older people experience. The partners bring expertise in the health and social care sector and a profound understanding of the communities they support. We’re excited at the prospect of working together to find leaders with dynamic solutions to redefine the experience of ageing.†Clare Devine, Executive Director, Design Council, said: “Design Council is proud to be part of such unique and exciting work. Through first-class research, collaborative working and rigorous design, Transform Ageing will enable local communities to take charge of their care needs and generate tangible, creative and lasting solutions to health and social care challenges in the south-west and beyond. Our vision is that by creating services better aligned to real-life needs and issues, everyone’s experience of ageing will be improved.†Jon Siddall, Director of Innovation, SW AHSN said: “We are really excited to be part of this pioneering programme and working with our partners to support community-led responses to the needs of our population in the south-west. We look forward to building partnerships with our NHS member organisations, local authorities, communities and social entrepreneurs to help put individuals at the centre of how we redesign support for people in later life.†Find out more about how we're supporting social entrepreneurs to transform ageing.