Public Service Agreement 17 – ‘Tackle poverty and promote greater independence and wellbeing in later life’
Public Service Agreements (PSAs) set out the key priority outcomes the Government wants to achieve in the next Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) period 2008–2011.
The Department for Work and Pensions leads on PSA 17 with major contributions from the Department of Health and Department for Communities and Local Government. It spans all policy and service areas and links closely to other PSAs notably Health, Care, Employment and Equalities.
Local Authorities have a key role in contributing to the success of PSA 17 through Local Area Agreements. Other local partners, such as Primary Care Trusts and voluntary and community groups, also have a significant contribution to make in partnership with Local Authorities.
PSA 17 brings together action across Government to tackle pensioner poverty and to ensure that we adapt to an ageing society by promoting greater independence and wellbeing in later life. The Public Service Agreement (PSA) 17 has five key indicators to assess progress over the three year Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) period 2008–2011:
- the employment rate of those aged 50–69 and the difference between this and the overall employment rate
- the percentage of pensioners in low income
- healthy life expectancy at 65
- satisfaction with home and neighbourhood among the over-65s
- the extent to which older people receive the support they need to live independently at home
The PSA also outlines further reforms that the Government will take forward over the CSR period 2008–2011 to promote improvements in independence and well-being in later life, laying the foundations for adapting to an ageing society in the longer term. These include the pensions reforms set out in the Pensions White Paper Paper ‘Security in retirement: towards a new pension system’.
- Read the PSA Delivery Agreement for Later Life (this link will take you to the HM Treasury website)
- Read about the national indicators for local authorities and local authority partnerships – older people
- Good practice– a list of links to more information about designing services to meet the needs of local older people
