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What skills do older self-funders in England need to arrange and manage social care? Findings from a scoping review of the literature
- Authors:
- BAXTER Kate, WILBERFORCE Mark, BIRKS Yvonne
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, 51(7), 2021, pp.2703-2721.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Older people in England who pay for social care from their own funds (‘self-funders’) receive little help in seeking and arranging care compared to older people funded by their local council. This suggests an implicit assumption that people funded by local councils need help to manage their care whereas self-funders do not. This article reports findings from a scoping review of published evidence from England, Scotland and Wales on the skills that older people need, and the help they get, to seek, arrange or manage use of social care, and how this help affects outcomes. Searches undertaken in October 2018 resulted in the inclusion of thirty-six empirical papers and seven reviews. Thematic analysis identified the importance of everyday life and specific business skills, and personal attributes including objectivity when evaluating options. The review identified two significant gaps in the evidence: first, how help in seeking and arranging care compensated for lack of, or complemented existing, skills; and secondly, how outcomes for people receiving help in arranging care compared with those not receiving help. The article concludes that a tailored approach to supporting older people arrange and manage care, irrespective of funding, should be considered. (Edited publisher abstract)
What skills do older self-funders in England need to arrange and manage social care? Findings from a scoping review of the literature
- Authors:
- BAXTER Kate, WILBERFORCE Mark, BIRKS Yvonne
- Journal article citation:
- British Journal of Social Work, early cite 23 August 2020, p.bcaa102.
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
Older people in England who pay for social care from their own funds (‘self-funders’) receive little help in seeking and arranging care compared to older people funded by their local council. This suggests an implicit assumption that people funded by local councils need help to manage their care whereas self-funders do not. This article reports findings from a scoping review of published evidence from England, Scotland and Wales on the skills that older people need, and the help they get, to seek, arrange or manage use of social care, and how this help affects outcomes. Searches undertaken in October 2018 resulted in the inclusion of thirty-six empirical papers and seven reviews. Thematic analysis identified the importance of everyday life and specific business skills, and personal attributes including objectivity when evaluating options. The review identified two significant gaps in the evidence: first, how help in seeking and arranging care compensated for lack of, or complemented existing, skills; and secondly, how outcomes for people receiving help in arranging care compared with those not receiving help. The article concludes that a tailored approach to supporting older people arrange and manage care, irrespective of funding, should be considered. (Edited 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)
Financial advice for funding later life care: a scoping review of evidence from England
- Authors:
- HEAVEY Emily, BAXTER Kate, BIRKS Yvonne
- Journal article citation:
- Journal of Long-Term Care, February 2019, pp.51-65. Online only
- Publisher:
- King's College London
- Place of publication:
- London
Context: Ageing populations across the world make the provision of long-term care a global challenge. A growing number of people in England are faced with paying for later life social care costs, but do little to plan for these costs in advance. Recent legislation in the form of the Care Act 2014 gave local authorities new responsibilities to provide information on how people can access independent financial advice on matters relating to care needs. Objectives: This scoping review aimed to identify existing evidence about people’s engagement with financial advice in relation to paying for later life care in England. Methods: Electronic and manual searching identified seventeen papers reporting empirical evidence on the topic, published between 2002 and 2017. Findings: This study found evidence of low numbers accessing regulated financial advice. Barriers included limited consumer awareness, preferences for other sources of advice such as friends and family, and poor signposting and referrals by local authorities. Most papers indicated that financial advice would be useful in helping people to plan for care costs. Robust research evidence on this topic is limited, with particular gaps in evidence about stakeholders’ experiences of the barriers to, and usefulness of, financial advice about paying for long-term care in later life. Limitations: The paper does not include a formal quality assessment of the included research papers. The interpretation of study findings was hindered by lack of methodological transparency in some papers and lack of studies focusing specifically on the topic of financial planning for long-term care. Implications: An improved evidence base could assist financial advisers specialising in this area and local authorities that are now obliged to signpost people to such advice. With better evidence they would be better placed to explain to members of the public the financial and non-financial implications of obtaining financial advice about care costs. It might also enable those organisations to overcome barriers and facilitate access to appropriate advice. (Edited publisher abstract)