| Workstream | Adult Care Services |
| PID Reference | SWCoE 0034 Understanding critical factors in care planning processes and the financial implications of different outcomes |
| Funding Detail | £48,500 (SWCoE) |
| CEx Champion | David Jenkins (Dorset County Council) |
| Programme Sponsor | Peter Murphy (Director of Adult Services, South Gloucestershire) |
| Programme Leader | Carol Robinson (South Gloucestershire) |
| Programme and Project Leader | Helen Maunder (SWCoE) |
Project Objectives and Scope
This project has been initiated by the Directors of Adult Social Care in the South West because there is concern about differential patterns in the use of residential care across the country. Initial investigation has shown that residential care packages have been provided where community care would have been more appropriate. The project will seek to identify those factors that are at play where people with learning disabilities are enabled to stay in community settings as opposed to going into residential care. It will provide evidence of the way care management currently operates and identify possible ways to influence the process in the future.
Aims of the project:
- To understand the main factors influencing decisions that lead to adults with learning disabilities staying in the community or moving into a registered residential home.
- To obtain information on the cost implications of residential versus community based support.
- To produce a guide to assist social care practitioners to obtain the good outcomes for people at a reasonable cost.
Anticipated gains from the project
It is probable that there will be no direct cashable or non-cashable efficiency savings achieved during the course of this project. The work done will identify efficiency savings that might be made in the future as a result of the project. It is possible that by engaging local authorities in the work, senior managers and care managers will become more focussed ways of achieving alternative options for care and the costs involved. There may be unquantifiable cashable and non-cashable efficiency savings as a result.
Wider implications and anticipated gains if it were successfully rolled out:
The information that will be obtained through the study can be shared with local authorities in the South West through:
- copies of the Final Report
- two sub-regional conferences to disseminate the findings and to facilitate discussion between authorities.
