Key messages for innovative community-based models in Northern Ireland

• The collapse of the Northern Ireland Assembly has stalled proposed reforms of an adult social care system struggling to meet rising demand.
• A culture of innovation is needed to scale up person-centred models of care and support which meet older people’s needs. Good models exist but there is no clear mechanism for resourcing and scaling these up to become mainstream services.
• Greater collaboration between statutory, community and voluntary providers sharing and maximising assets to deliver better outcomes for older people. This is critical where care and support services are seen as a shared responsibility across a range of bodies.
• Older people should be empowered through education and information to live healthier lives and access opportunities to stay connected and active in their communities. This views older people as an asset and co-partner in managing their own health.
• Co-production with older people is critical to designing services that people need and want. Coproduced services enable people to live fuller, healthier and more independent lives.
• Providers of new innovative services need to work closely with commissioners to design evaluation systems that produce clear and useful data.