Services for over-50s

Marking the start of the new 'Time of our Lives' strategy, East Sussex County Council and the East Sussex Seniors Association ran an 'Older People's Engagement Day' to improve constructive dialogue and debate between local decision makers and older residents in the county.

During the morning's roundtable debate, members of the East Sussex Seniors' Association identified eight headline issues as being of most concern and interest to older people:

- Better support for older people returning to work, and accommodation of flexible working patterns

- The use of health MOT style tests and other 'early warning' screening tests designed to identify potential problems

- Funding for lifelong learning opportunities

- Better community involvement and the breaking down of barriers between generations

- Better communication between agencies to support vulnerable members of the community

- Having access to a range of different types of transport initiatives and the free bus pass system to meet different needs

- Strong representation of pensioners' interests to central government

- The importance of respite services for carers, including emergency respite

After lunch, a panel of elected councillors and top executives - from the NHS, the Sussex Police, the Department of Work and Pensions, the Learning and Skills Council and the County Council's departments for Transport and Environment, Adult Social Care and Communications and Policy - responded to questions on these subjects with their thoughts and comments. Marian Barnes, Professor of Policy at the University of Brighton facilitated the session.

One topic that proved to be of particular interest, was the ability of

the county's biggest organisations - ESCC, the Sussex Police, the Primary Care Trusts and Fire Service - to work together effectively to assist the vulnerable.

Cheryl Miller, CBE, ESCC Chief Executive, gave a practical example of how improvements were being made: "If a home help goes into a person's home and realises there isn't a smoke alarm, they can now call in the fire services to fit one, thanks to a simple system which puts front-line staff across agencies in touch with one another."

Superintendent Grenville Wilson of the Sussex Police spoke of how neighbourhood policing is taking local engagement to new levels:

"The introduction of Police Community Support Officers and the re-emergence over the past two years of dedicated specialist neighbourhood team has really helped us to engage with local communities, and to pick up on problems, but we are still looking to do more."