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Health Secretary to make elderly care 'top priority' Health Secretary makes elderly care "personal priority"
(about 14 hours later)
Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon is to identify care of the elderly as a top priority for the Scottish government at a conference later. Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon has made care of the elderly a "personal priority", with a focus on dementia sufferers.
Ms Sturgeon will outline her plans to an Alzheimer Scotland's dementia awareness event in Glasgow. She announced a regime of inspections to ensure care standards in hospitals are up to scratch.
Questions about the quality of care were prompted by a police investigation into a nursing home in Edinburgh. The move came after a number of recent cases which raised concern over the care of elderly patients.
And hundreds of residents could also be affected by financial difficulties at care home provider Southern Cross. Ms Sturgeon said she was ready to tackle the "huge challenge" of modernising care services.
Police launched an investigation into the death of an 87-year-old man, days after he left the Elsie Inglis home in Edinburgh. As well as inspections, the chief nursing officer will oversee the href="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/Recent" >implementation of dementia standards in hospitals.
Officers have already sent a report to the procurator fiscal after a 59-year-old woman, who had been a resident at the home, died after being transferred to hospital. "Quality, compassionate care for older people that protects their dignity and independence, is one of the most sacred duties of any civilised society," said Ms Sturgeon.
Improvement programme "It is something I believe we generally do well - but that is not good enough. We must do it well for every older person on every occasion, in care homes and in hospitals.
That death prompted NHS Lothian and Edinburgh city council to intervene. "I consider improving care for older people - whether that means ensuring the implementation of the dementia standards, making sure older people are treated with care and compassion wherever they are and whatever their diagnosis, or better joining up health and social care - to be a personal priority."
The home was closed and all 70 residents moved elsewhere. Ms Sturgeon's comments came after the Mental Welfare Commission severely criticised Ninewells hospital in Dundee over the care of an 80-year-old woman with dementia.
In a separate case the Mental Welfare Commission has severely criticised Ninewells hospital in Dundee over the care of an 80-year-old woman with dementia. It found that use of sedatives in the days leading up to the woman's death was distressing and unnecessary.
The commission found that use of sedatives in the days leading up to the woman's death was distressing and unnecessary. And the recent deaths of two elderly former residents at Edinburgh's Elsie Inglis care home prompted a police investigation and the closure of the facility.
In its response, NHS Tayside accepted that the treatment was "woefully inadequate" and said it had begun a programme of improvements. SNP ministers have also raised concern over the thousands of elderly Scots being cared for by under-threat care home provider Southern Cross, which is suffering from financial problems.
Government and local authorities throughout the UK have been monitoring financial problems at care homes operated by Southern Cross. The Scottish government will consult on the dementia standards over the next six months.
Rental payments
It looks after hundreds of people in Scotland.
Rising costs and falling income have forced it to cut the rent it pays to the owners of its properties.
Some owners may not be able to agree to the cut in rental payments, which would cast doubt on the operation of the care homes.
Labour, the main opposition group within the Scottish Parliament, has called for closer working between hospitals and local authorities.
Its health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie said: "We need to see clarity from the SNP government on whether or not they support integrating health and social care.
"There is no room for uncertainty and older people deserve to know exactly what the government's intentions are."