Parc du Cinquantenaire

A couple of days in Brussels and I had time for early morning runs in Parc du Cinquantenaire.

I did my longest run in a while and it felt relatively easy. There is a gentle uphill/downhill around the park which made for inconsistent lap pacing. There were lots of people out running even at 6am Brussels time.

 

The cost of long term care

This striking graph from the latest EU Ageing Report*1 highlights how the UK continues to spend a relatively small proportion of GDP on long term care (LTC).

It also highlights that, far from a demographic crisis in the long term costs of care, LTC costs as a percentage of GDP will increase in the UK by just 0.4% between 2015 and 2060.

What the data does not take account of however, is whether Government spending on care is adequate today, or indeed, whether it will be tomorrow.

We heard today from Age UK of a cost of almost £700m to the health service as a result of 2.5 million days of delayed discharge over the past five years *2.

So whilst there is some good news for the Treasury from the EU analysis, there is likely to be increasing pressure on Government to improve the quality of care as well as invest in prevention. Better integration of services could help hold back costs as can innovation in health and care.

Over the next five years we will start to see the return on recent financial and policy investment in integration. But the growing prevalence of serious illness amongst those aged over 80 and a growing ageing population will put pressures on budgets.*3

And as Age UK have highlighted today, squeezing social care is a false economy if it simply pushes up healthcare costs.

 David Sinclair
 *1 http://ec.europa.eu/economy_finance/publications/european_economy/2015/ee3_en.htm 
 *2 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/health/elder/11678941/Elderly-care-shortages-cost-NHS-669-million-as-toll-of-bed-blocking-crisis-spirals.html 
 *3 http://www.ilcuk.org.uk/index.php/publications/publication_details/serious_illness_in_the_over_50s

Also at www.ilcuk.org.uk

Worthing 10k

I’ve had a bit of leg/ankle pain for the last 6 weeks which I’ve been struggling to lose. I’ve been going slow for the last month and I didn’t run at all in the 8 days before the Worthing 10k to see if resting would make a difference. It worked. I’ve still a few twinges but I managed to get through the run without any major pain.

And I managed a PB in the run after cycling over from East Preston.

10 about the Worthing 10

• They gave away a new flavour of Lucozade (mango and passionfruit). It was good
• Weather was too hot
• But fortunately it wasn’t too too windy
• The course is an out and back one. It goes along the seafront but the sea is out of site for much of the run.
• I was beaten on the line by a women who I was behind for much of the race but who I took over in the last km. I’d have sprinted if I’d realised she was so close. (I do often try and keep up with someone else running at a similar pace to me)
• They gave small bottles of water at half way
• I got a medal. And no goody bag (in previous years I’m told they gave away mugs)
• I found it easier than the Bognor 10k a few weeks earlier where the wind hit me hard for the last 5km and I completely lost energy
• 10k is a nice distance for a run. 5k is basically run as fast as you can. 10k about a bit more stamina and getting pacing right is more important.
• I’ve discovered Jointace Gel. Very good massage gel for joints and muscles.
• I know I should start stretching after running. But I doubt I will. 

Toilets

Spotted in Portsmouth. They should do this in more places #toilets.

Bognor beach

Morning run along the prom in early March.

Before and after

Before

Half way

And after