Search results for ‘Publisher:"social services research group"’ Sort:
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Quality of life measures for carers for people with dementia: measurement issues, gaps in research and promising paths
- Authors:
- MANTHORPE Jill, BOWLING Ann
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 31(3), 2016, pp.163-178.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Background: Providing support to a family member with dementia often comes at a cost to the quality of life (QoL) of the carer (caregiver), giving rise to current and future unmet needs for health and social care and support themselves. These have important implications for cost effective health and social care support services and pathways. This article summarises the findings of a scoping review of the literature on QoL measures for carers of people with dementia that was commissioned by the Medical Research Council to address what is ‘state of the art’ in measurement and identification, any gaps in the evidence base, and challenges for further research. Method: a scope of the literature using Medline and Psychlit (all years) as these are particularly relevant to health psychology was undertaken in March 2013, using combinations of the following keywords: quality of life, measure, scale, caregiver (including carer), chronic illness (the term long-term condition is generally captured under this phrase), dementia, cognitive impairment, Alzheimer’s disease. Results: there is a dearth of carer-reported QoL measures, in contrast to the existence of proxy scales for carers which are used to measure the patient’s/client’s QoL (prevalent in relation to dementia). Several methodological challenges were identified. Conclusion: caring for people with dementia often has both negative and positive consequences which need inclusion in measures but these may vary by individual and over time. The lack of consensus about what to measure and how in QoL of carers of people with dementia does not help practitioners or service funders. Measures need to be appropriate for younger and older carers, type of carer and caring tasks, and be sensitive to cultural and sociodemographic differences. (Publisher abstract)
Self-funders and social care: findings from a scoping review
- Author:
- BAXTER Kate
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 31(3), 2016, pp.179-193.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
This paper draws on a scoping review of the evidence base about adults in England who purchase social care services and support using their own money. It presents a selection of the review’s findings relevant to self-funders and key aspects of the Care Act 2014. The review covers the years 2000 to 2015. Searches of electronic databases were complemented by a focused search of the websites of key organisations. After applying inclusion/exclusion criteria, and removing duplicates, details were extracted from 76 references. The majority focused on residential care (33), domiciliary care (12), or both (23). Studies used a range of research methods. The overall numbers and percentages of self-funders of home care and care home places have increased. There are variations across regions but limited evidence about demographic or socio-economic characteristics of self-funders. Self-funders feel they lack advice from local authorities; local authorities have limited knowledge of self-funders in their areas. People struggle to understand fees and the financial implications of long-term care. Providers are beginning to realise the potential of the self-funding market but full use is not yet being made of e-marketplaces. Key gaps in knowledge remain at a time when the number and importance of self-funders is increasing. (Publisher abstract)
Making a difference to people’s lives: policy principles and the role of health and social care regulation
- Authors:
- ROSENBACH Alan, HUGHES Rhidian
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 28(2), 2010, pp.75-90.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Society is experiencing significant demographic changes and this, coupled with the consequences of the 2008-2010 economic recession, has put enormous pressures on health and social care services. This paper starts by outlining some of the key issues facing health and social care, including growing demands and expectations for services and responding to the priorities of the new coalition government. The regulatory framework for health and social care is discussed, including the role of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The paper then examines a number of key policy issues and challenges: putting people at the centre of their care; joining-up care; promoting independent living; providing safe and effective care; safeguarding people in vulnerable circumstances; reducing inequalities; and securing fair access to care. The paper reviews evidence, largely drawn from regulatory work, which demonstrates that more needs to be done to improve outcomes for people using services. It concludes that services need to be commissioned and provided in ways that maximise their value for money and put people’s needs first.
Can the shift from needs-led to outcomes-focused assessment in health and social care deliver on policy priorities?
- Author:
- MILLER Emma
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 28(2), 2010, pp.115-127.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Assessment, planning and review are at the heart of the provision of services and support in health and social care in the community, providing key means through which professionals interact with people using their services. These interactions provide opportunities for relationship building, with evidence that involving the person in identifying their priorities and required support can itself improve outcomes. At the same time, professionals use assessment to assess eligibility for support, and assessment has also increasingly become a mechanism for data gathering, to inform a range of requirements at local and national level including planning, commissioning, inspection and performance management. Despite attempts to move assessment from being service-led to person-centred, meeting such a broad range of objectives and requirements can create tensions at the front line, influencing both how interactions are conducted, and the resulting decisions. More recently, there has been an increasing emphasis on outcomes for individuals using health and social care services, including a shift from needs-led to outcomes-focused assessment. This paper considers a recent literature review about shared health and social care assessment, including emerging evidence from the implementation of outcomes-focused assessment in the UK. It concludes that there are promising signs that the recent shift to outcomes-focused assessment might resolve longstanding tensions around assessment, delivering on person-centred objectives and resulting in more efficient and effective use of resources.
Engaging older people in reviewing the influence of service users on the quality and delivery of social care services
- Authors:
- LAW Stella, JANZON Karin
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 22(2), 2004, pp.59-63.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
This paper summarises the results of a research review commissioned by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) to explore the influence of older service users in shaping social care services. A key dimension of the review was the active involvement of two reference groups for older people. The central question of the review was how the involvement of older people has succeeded in promoting change and enhancing quality in social care services. The main conclusion is that, while involvement has resulted in considerable knowledge development, this understanding has yet to percolate into the delivery of mainstream social care.
Services for mentally disordered offenders: a literature review
- Author:
- BAILEY Di
- Journal article citation:
- Social Services Research, 3, 1996, pp.41-57.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Provides a useful framework for those involved in researching the area of services and diversion schemes for Mentally Disordered Offenders's (MDO's) against which the perceptions of diversionary practice in Northamptonshire could be judged. The review focuses on research findings in relation to the identification, care and treatment of MDO's in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the current diversion schemes in terms of promoting good practice and maximising individual outcomes of health gain, reduced risk and least restrictive disposal option.
Innovation in social services in Britain: a literature review
- Author:
- OSBORNE Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Social Services Research, 1, 1995, pp.1-13.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Through a review of the literature, examines innovation in social services in the UK.
Implementing a computerised social services information system
- Authors:
- BERMAN Yitzhak, PHILLIPS David
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 12(1), 1994, pp.10-15.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Reviews the literature on implementing information technology in the social services with particular reference to the problems of dissonance between the technical nature of IT and the humanistic natures of social work. Discusses ways of avoiding problems of dissonance in relation to concepts of social change, involvement and empowerment.
Meeting the needs of families with a member with cystic fibrosis: a critical review of the literature
- Author:
- OSBORNE Stephen
- Journal article citation:
- Social Services Research, 4 1994, 1994, pp.41-53.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
The article examines the breadth of existing knowledge about the social needs of families with a life threatening illness. The 1980's have been chosen as a focus as a way of partly limiting the size of the study and partly because of the pace of medical development and change over the last two decades. Outlines the methodology and provides an extensive bibliography at the end of the article.
The influence of research on policy: how do they relate?
- Author:
- BULMER Martin
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 3(2), 1985, pp.13-18.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
Applied social science research strives to be useful, but how does it actually impact upon policy? This article reviews recent British literature on the relation between research and policy, which points to patterns of diffuse rather than specific influence. Models of the policy-making process are then considered, and the limits of the rational model highlighted. The article ends with a discussion of the implications for the practice of social services research.