Partnerships for Older People Project (POPP)

The Partnerships for Older People Project (POPP) was a 3-year scheme. It made £60m available to local authorities to develop pilot projects, testing different models of service delivery aimed at promoting the independence and health of older people.

It was envisaged that the POPP would help to improve outcomes for older people through service redesign and a shift in resources away from crisis care for older people towards earlier, targeted interventions within their own homes and communities.

In the first round, 19 pilot areas trialled service models which included:

• Telecare: technology used at home which aimed to support people to remain independent and monitor their own health
• Empowerment and involvement: actively engaging and involving older people in service design and delivery, for example, through the provision of peer support, the identification of service gaps and the provision of information to other user
• Access: targeting access to particular groups of people (defined by geographical location or service usage) and taking other proactive approaches to improve access for vulnerable older people
• Workforce redesign and organisational development: investing in staff training to allow for integrated team working in communities