Dan Hayes, chief executive of The Orders of St John Care Trust (OSJCT),  has led a delegation of senior academics and researchers from Oxford Brookes University and South Korea’s Land and Housing Research Institute (LHRI) on a special tour of the not-for-profit social care provider’s services in Oxfordshire.

The delegates from the UK-South Korea Ageing in Place Research Network, a research and knowledge exchange on housing for older people, visited OSCT’s Isis care home and Shotover View extra care housing facility.

Hayes said: “We were delighted to host the delegation from Oxford Brookes University and the South Korean LHRI and showcase our care services. Nearly every country in the world is experiencing growth in the number of older people in their populations and therefore nearly every country is facing major challenges in ensuring their health and social care systems can respond to an ageing population. So it’s important to  make the most of every opportunity for collaboration and sharing knowledge about how to improve the lives of older people and their loved ones.”

Dan briefed the delegation on the opportunities, challenges and complexities of social care for older people in England. The delegation learned about provision, funding, responsibilities of national and local government agencies, integration with the National Health Service (NHS) and differences between charitable and commercial providers. Innovation in the sector was also on the agenda, such as OSJCT’s transition to electronic care records.