William's Story

One of the PCT's objectives is to promote independence.
We work closely with our partners in social care, the independent sector and the community, to design services which meet this aim.

William is an 82-year old widower living in sheltered housing accommodation. William has in the past suffered with heart problems and has recently been having dizzy spells. He has visited his GP infrequently, preferring not to bother her, and choosing to take advice from his friends at the Social Services Day Centre he attends once a week.

Late one evening, William tripped over coming down some steps and broke his hip. After alerting the warden, an ambulance was called and William was admitted to hospital to have his hip fixed.

After a short spell in hospital, William went to stay at Ashley Intermediate Care Centre in Cheltenham for six weeks, where he received support, which speeded up his rehabilitation, and helped him to feel more confident about returning home.

William is now back at home receiving daily help from a Social Services Home Care Assistant and support from a variety of organisations working in partnership.

Local information

The PCT has a higher than average proportion of older people than for England and Wales. 9% of our population are aged over 75 years compared against the national average of 7.6% (Census 2001). This proportion is set to increase by an average of 10% within the next decade.

In 2003/04 there were 367 Cheltenham and Tewkesbury residents aged over 65 years admitted to hospital with hip fractures.