Social Care Bulletin - Viewpoint

“The years of plenty have come to an end”

Peter Sinden, Head of Government Services at Dr Foster Research is working with Local Authorities to meet the challenges of improving efficiency in an uncertain environment and he has been kind enough to share some of his insights with us:

Can efficiency savings be made without destroying quality?
Absolutely. A quality service means meeting the needs of the public, on an individual level. A cheap service is waste if it fails to meet a real need or improve real outcomes. By identifying the real needs of individuals, measuring outcomes for different services both internally and against your peers and by joining up commissioning between, for example health and social care it is possible to improve efficiency and improve quality, even in our current financial climate. A strong evidence base puts a council in a strong position.

Is the personalisation agenda safe?
Different councils will respond differently. Some will see personalisation merely as a move to direct payments then co-opt this approach in an attempt to reduce management overheads. But this is extremely cynical and goes against the values that I see in those that we work with. Personalisation is routed in respect for the individual. It must be delivered with compassion and surrounded by advocacy and support. Those councils that understand the importance of personal engagement and intervene to minimise problems early are likely to avoid many of the high costs of acute care.

How can we reduce costs, while improving outcomes?
Social care is a major drain on the budget of every local authority. High cost residential and nursing care for older people is a significant portion of any authority’s budget. Costs will rise as our population ages but the impact can be mitigated through effective restructuring of services. Within 10 years, the number of people aged over 85 is forecast to grow by 38%. The number of people aged over 65 is forecast to grow by around 3 million in the next 15 years. By recognising that older people are part of the solution, not just the problem, we can encourage support in the community and the home. This will simultaneously reduce expenditure on facilities such as day care centres while improving social cohesion and social capital. By understanding what people really want and delivering that through coordinated efforts with the private and third sectors, we can massively reduce wastage from expenditure directed at initiatives that fail to understand basic needs.

For more information, please visit www.drfoster.co.uk/localgovernment

or contact localgovernment@drfoster.co.uk