Joint Working between Health and Social Care

Abstract

Faced with a series of demographic, social and technological changes, countries across Europe have found themselves trying to respond to a series of long-term care (LTC) challenges, including: responding to increased numbers of frail older people and older people with dementia; changes in social/family structures (often reducing the availability of informal care); rising public expectations and the need to improve and assure quality; financial sustainability (in a difficult economic context but also long term); staff recruitment and retention; and the need to develop more preventative and rehabilitative approaches.