Health minister Stephen Ladyman has detailed a £60 million fund to help councils provide assistance for older people seeking to live independently.

Grants from the Partnerships for Older People Projects (POPP) encourage local authorities to work together with NHS, voluntary and community sector partners to introduce new ways of supporting older people.

The government wants to reduce emergency trips to hospitals by helping older people lead active and healthy lives.

Ministers want to see more older people supported in their own homes, and more active rehabilitation and health promotion.

Ideas contained in the green paper on adult social care, due to be published shortly, will also be considered under the scheme.

At the launch on Thursday Ladyman said he wanted older people "to live as independently as possible and have great quality of life."

"Nearly 50 per cent of all hospital admissions are of older people and many of these are avoidable," he added.

"Working proactively to give care in a community setting enables older people to maintain their independence and quality of life, and reduces the need for hospital or high intensity care.

"The POPP project is about better meeting the needs of all older people, including those traditionally hard-to-reach groups."

Independence

Professor Ian Philp, national director for older people's health, said that social services "have already demonstrated their effectiveness in improving community services for older people".

They had also been reducing pressure on acute hospital beds, he added.

"To date, the main emphasis has been on reducing delayed discharge from hospital," said Professor Philp

"The emphasis of the POPP project will be on reducing need for admission to hospitals in the first instance through services which enhance the independence, health, and well-being of older people living at home."