The International Long-term care Policy Network (ILPN) is a network for researchers, policy-makers and other stakeholders, and aims to promote the global exchange of evidence and knowledge on long-term Care (LTC) policy.

ILPN was launched in September 2010 and is based at the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre (CPEC) at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). It is the first network of its kind providing an interface between researchers, policy makers and other stakeholders facilitating contributions to and sharing of evidence for shaping LTC policies and practice.

RATIONALE

Demographic changes have pushed long-term care up the policy agenda of governments precisely at the time when they are facing major economic challenges. Governments’ policy responses to this through reform of the existing care and support systems have been met with anxious response from public.

Public policy needs to be supported by an evidence base created through research on ‘what works’ in long-term care. However, the concern is on the paucity of evidence and the lack of an appropriate forum to share existing knowledge widely and effectively at the international level.

STRATEGY

ILPN consists of three components which together foster collaboration, share insights and advance long-term care research and policy worldwide: a biennial international conference which brings together global academics, policymakers and experts and serves as a catalyst for connections; the Global Observatory of Long-Term Care (GOLTC) provides a platform for a network of experts who share evidence and learning related to LTC; the Journal of Long-Term Care (JLTC) which publishes the latest findings and knowledge about LTC is published in an open-access, peer-reviewed journal.

OBJECTIVES

• Strengthen the links between the research community, policy makers and long-term care industry
• Promote the sharing of evidence on LTC policy and practice
• Foster research collaborations to develop new evidence in areas where knowledge gaps exist in LTC
• Promote international comparative policy analysis to encourage evidence-based policy making.