Launch of new ageing strategy at King's

King’s College London hosted the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Longevity’s strategy launch earlier this month, welcoming the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock and other Parliamentarians to a discussion about healthy ageing and how the Government responds to changing demographics in the UK. Dr Richard Siow, Director of ARK at King’s and member of the APPG Strategic Advisory Board, opened the event by focusing on the importance of sustained policymaking and interdisciplinary focus on addressing ageing and emphasised the collaborative nature of the ARK consortium’s projects.

The Rt Hon Damian Green MP, Chair of the APPG, introduced the strategy along with authors Lord Geoffrey Filkin and Tina Woods. From the outset, a step-change in the rhetoric surrounding responses to the ageing society was called for. Speakers were unanimous in their promotion of the opportunities linked with ageing, keen to steer away from language that positions it as a problem for society. The truly interdisciplinary nature of ageing was highlighted, with areas such as housing, finance and health all covered.

Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock welcomed the APPG’s strategy, stating that he saw it as a symbol of how much progress society has made in the last century. Tackling health inequalities, on a regional and income level, was considered vital to furthering this agenda. Also emphasised was the role of technology in improving both access and outcomes in healthcare. Here King’s was acknowledged as an innovator, for its research into uses of artificial intelligence for adult care. The report achieved cross-party endorsement, with Shadow Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Jon Ashworth lauding its positive contribution to existing debates on health outcomes and wellbeing.

(Content and Image Courtesy: https://www.kcl.ac.uk/news/health-secretary-speaks-at-launch-of-new-ageing-strategy)