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Home care services for older people: findings from a national survey of social care commissioners
- Authors:
- HUGHES Jane, CHESTER Helen, CHALLIS David
- Journal article citation:
- Research Policy and Planning, 30(1), 2013, pp.51-64.
- Publisher:
- Social Services Research Group
This paper explores local authority commissioning and contracting arrangements for home care, staff training opportunities and the range of services provided for older people utilising data from a national postal survey with a 74 per cent response rate. Local authority provision focused on intermediate care services. Joint commissioning of this with health was common but less likely for specialist mental health services. Most home care was commissioned from and provided by independent sector providers with contractual requirements identified as a means of influencing and monitoring training opportunities. A range of services were provided for users, additional to personal care. Local authority training was sometimes available to independent providers, focused on statutory requirements rather than user needs. Implications for the development of high quality services are discussed in terms of user need, service flexibility and training for staff providing direct care. It is suggested that within the commissioning process key drivers of the development of more personalised high quality home care services are: regular dialogue with service providers; greater health and social care involvement in a joint commissioning process; alignment of contracting arrangements to reflect service outcomes; and specification of training requirements within the setting and monitoring of home care contracts. (Publisher abstract)