Citizen Advisors - Turning Point

Turning Point Connected Care Report 24
5. Early Intervention
Supporting people early on and in a way that is appropriate for them is a
cornerstone of Putting People First and the personalisation agenda. Local
authorities and NHS trusts across the UK are working hard to make a strategic
shift towards prevention and early intervention.
Prevention and early intervention can have different meanings across the
health, social care and housing sectors and it can also mean different things
according to the level of need. As a result, it is quite difficult to define, although a
useful definition provided by Wistow et al. (2003):
i) Preventing or delaying the need for high cost care as a result of ill health or
disability due to ageing, and
ii) Promoting and improving the quality of life of people and their inclusion
within society and community life.
Currently, the evidence for the effectiveness of preventative approaches in
health and social care is growing stronger. For example, the Department of
Health’s Partnerships for Older People Projects (POPP) and the Department for
Work and Pension’s LinkAge Plus programme have illustrated that by providing
low level support in the community a real difference can be made to the quality
of life as well as to the demand for statutory services.
“The POPP programme has significantly increased the evidence base about the
effectiveness of preventative approaches, particularly where these are
undertaken as part of joint working between health and social care” (Department
of Health, 2010).
Such programmes have also added to the growing body of evidence which
shows that early intervention focussed, integrated health and well-being
services can realise significant financial benefits. For example, studies have
illustrated that integrated early intervention programmes can generate resource
savings of over £2.50 for every £1 spent (Turning Point, 2010).
The following examples have been designed in order to promote the
independence and quality of life of people with health and social care needs and
thus prevent reliance upon higher level services.