scholarly journals Personalisation and the Co-operative Tradition

2012 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 507-518 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Fisher ◽  
Susan Baines ◽  
Mary Rayner

There is growing interest in how enterprises based on co-operative values can help to meet needs relating to welfare and re-energise public services. The objective of this article is to examine critically the intersection of personalised adult social care services and the co-operative tradition, which emphasises mutual aid and value-led enterprise. We do this by retelling the story of personalisation through a co-operative lens, and ground this reading in case studies of two new co-operative enterprises that were supported under a Department of Health programme in England (2006–2009) intended to demonstrate how personalised adult social care could be extended by developing collaborative, co-operative organisational forms.

2020 ◽  
pp. 095207672090500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elke Loeffler ◽  
Peter Timm-Arnold

This paper analyses the relationship between modes of governance at local level and the adoption of user and community co-production approaches in community safety and social care services, based on a German case study. The findings draw on a series of intensive focus groups with managers and staff of public services in four different regions in Germany, exploring existing levels of co-production and its potential in social care and community safety services, with particular focus on older and young people. The paper provides the first clear research evidence on how approaches to co-production are specific to the modes of governance within which they take place. The paper concludes with policy conclusions, both in the two programme areas concerned and in local public services more generally.


2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 176-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Vaalavuo

The opportunity to use public services supports older people’s livelihoods, although out-of-pocket fees can be a burden, especially for low-income pensioners. In this article, we analyse the use of health and social care services among the elderly in Finland. The objectives are two-fold: first, to study the distribution of public spending on services across income groups, and second, to investigate the related costs to the service-user. The article contributes to the debate on the welfare states’ redistributive function. The study is based on register data covering the total Finnish population in 2015. In our descriptive analysis, we focus on the distribution of the cost of production (based on detailed unit costs), user fees (calculated based on legislation) as well as reimbursements by social insurance and out-of-pocket payments for medicine, private services and travel costs. The results show that the amount of in-kind benefits is the largest in the two bottom income quintiles both in absolute and relative terms. We also see that the related costs to the client are small in relation to the monetary value of the service, although they amount to 9% of the disposable income in the lowest income quintile. It is noteworthy that benefits are highly concentrated on a small group of individuals. Public services create an important context for the evaluation of adequacy of cash income. Likewise, when we want to understand economic conditions of elderly people in a more comprehensive way, studying the share of disposable income going to health and social care is one important dimension. However, we also argue that we need to be cautious when making claims about redistribution through public services.


2008 ◽  
Vol 37 (4) ◽  
pp. 531-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
JANET NEWMAN ◽  
CAROLINE GLENDINNING ◽  
MICHAEL HUGHES

AbstractThis article reflects on the process and outcomes of modernisation in adult social care in England and Wales, drawing particularly on the recently completed Modernising Adult Social Care (MASC) research programme commissioned by the Department of Health. We begin by exploring the contested status of ‘modernisation’ as a descriptor of reform. We then outline some of the distinctive features of adult social care services and suggest that these features introduce dynamics likely to shape both the experiences and outcomes of policy ambitions for modernisation. We then reflect on the evidence emerging from the MASC studies and develop a model for illuminating some of the dynamics of welfare governance. Finally, we highlight the emerging focus on individualisation and on user-directed and controlled services. We argue that the current focus of modernisation involves a reduced emphasis on structural and institutional approaches to change and an increased emphasis on changes in the behaviours and roles of adult social care service users. This focus has implications for both the future dynamics of welfare governance and for conceptions of citizenship.


2014 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 563-568
Author(s):  
Rob Wilson ◽  
Susan Baines ◽  
Ian McLoughlin

This themed section has at its heart reflections on the development of policy of, and for, information in health and social care over the last ten years in both the UK and Australia. It addresses a set of concerns often overlooked within social policy, namely the use of information and information systems as tools by organisations, policy makers and practitioners in the modernisation or transformation of public services, including in this case health and social care. Not long ago, in both countries, information was perceived as a panacea for the problems of integrating care services between health and social care organisations and these organisations and the patient, client or user of services. The authors focus upon England and Australia and contrast them briefly with other countries in Europe where the state plays a range of roles in the provision of health and social care.


Author(s):  
John Woolham ◽  
Nicole Steils ◽  
Kirsty Forsyth ◽  
Malcolm Fisk ◽  
Jeremy Porteus

Background. This paper discusses findings from a study of English Local Authority (LA) Adult Social Care Departments (ASCDs) that explored how managers use telecare. A decade earlier, a large clinical trial, the ‘Whole System Demonstrator’ project (WSD), funded by the Department of Health (DH) investigated telecare’s effectiveness in promoting and maintaining independence among users. It found no evidence that telecare improved outcomes. Despite these conclusions, the DH did not change its policy or guidance, and LAs did not appear to scale back investment in telecare.<br />Aims and objectives. The present study explores how English ASCDs responded to WSD findings and why investment continued despite evidence from the WSD.<br />Methods. Data were obtained from an online survey sent to all telecare lead managers in England. The survey achieved a final response rate of 75%.<br />Findings. The survey asked questions focused on awareness and use of research in general, and specifically knowledge about the findings of the WSD. Most respondents were highly critical of the WSD methods, and its findings.<br />Discussion. Critical examination of telecare manager views found widespread inaccurate information about the trial methodology and findings, as well as the wider political and policy context that shaped it.<br />Conclusions. The WSD could not explain why telecare did not deliver better outcomes. A more nuanced understanding of the circumstances in which it might achieve good outcomes has received little consideration. LA difficulties in using evidence in telecare commissioning potentially leaves the sector at risk of market capture and supplier induced demand.<br />key messages<br /><ol><li>Social care services in England continue to invest in telecare despite evidence it does not produce better outcomes for older users.</li><br /><li>Generalizable evidence for telecare effectiveness is not well understood by commissioners/providers.</li><br /><li>Better use of evidence is needed for telecare to be effective for older people.</li><br /><li>Without independent evidence there is a risk of ‘market capture’ by manufacturers.</li></ol><br />


Author(s):  
Catherine Needham ◽  
Kerry Allen ◽  
Kelly Hall

Chapter 2 examines the issue of why size is a relevant frame to use in relation to performance and innovation in public services, outlining key findings from the existing literature. In recognition of the inconclusive nature of efforts to find relationships between size and performance or size and innovation, three further aspects of size are discussed. First, size is recognised to be a dynamic variable which is constantly shifting, and measurable in a range of different ways which impede comparative analysis. Second, size is recognised to have a symbolic and performative aspect, which needs to be part of an understanding of the way that it behaves as a research variable. The third is the distinctive context of care. The chapter sets out recent reforms to social care services in the era since the care management reforms of the early 1990s. This covers the move to large-scale outsourcing of care services as well as the more recent shift to personalisation and austerity as the driving rationales for service delivery.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Pomey ◽  
M. de Guise ◽  
M. Desforges ◽  
K. Bouchard ◽  
C. Vialaron ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Quebec is one of the Canadian provinces with the highest rates of cancer incidence and prevalence. A study by the Rossy Cancer Network (RCN) of McGill university assessed six aspects of the patient experience among cancer patients and found that emotional support is the aspect most lacking. To improve this support, trained patient advisors (PAs) can be included as full-fledged members of the healthcare team, given that PA can rely on their knowledge with experiencing the disease and from using health and social care services to accompany cancer patients, they could help to round out the health and social care services offer in oncology. However, the feasibility of integrating PAs in clinical oncology teams has not been studied. In this multisite study, we will explore how to integrate PAs in clinical oncology teams and, under what conditions this can be successfully done. We aim to better understand effects of this PA intervention on patients, on the PAs themselves, the health and social care team, the administrators, and on the organization of services and to identify associated ethical and legal issues. Methods/design We will conduct six mixed methods longitudinal case studies. Qualitative data will be used to study the integration of the PAs into clinical oncology teams and to identify the factors that are facilitators and inhibitors of the process, the associated ethical and legal issues, and the challenges that the PAs experience. Quantitative data will be used to assess effects on patients, PAs and team members, if any, of the PA intervention. The results will be used to support oncology programs in the integration of PAs into their healthcare teams and to design a future randomized pragmatic trial to evaluate the impact of PAs as full-fledged members of clinical oncology teams on cancer patients’ experience of emotional support throughout their care trajectory. Discussion This study will be the first to integrate PAs as full-fledged members of the clinical oncology team and to assess possible clinical and organizational level effects. Given the unique role of PAs, this study will complement the body of research on peer support and patient navigation. An additional innovative aspect of this study will be consideration of the ethical and legal issues at stake and how to address them in the health care organizations.


2021 ◽  
pp. 089976402110014
Author(s):  
Anders M. Bach-Mortensen ◽  
Ani Movsisyan

Social care services are increasingly provisioned in quasi-markets in which for-profit, public, and third sector providers compete for contracts. Existing research has investigated the implications of this development by analyzing ownership variation in latent outcomes such as quality, but little is known about whether ownership predicts variation in more concrete outcomes, such as violation types. To address this research gap, we coded publicly available inspection reports of social care providers regulated by the Care Inspectorate in Scotland and created a novel data set enabling analysis of ownership variation in violations of (a) regulations, and (b) national care standards over an entire inspection year ( n = 4,178). Using negative binomial and logistic regression models, we find that for-profit providers are more likely to violate non-enforceable outcomes (national care standards) relative to other ownership types. We did not identify a statistically significant difference between for-profit and third sector providers with regard to enforceable outcomes (regulations).


2020 ◽  
pp. 030802262097394
Author(s):  
Deborah Bullen ◽  
Channine Clarke

Introduction In response to growing demands on health and social care services there is an emphasis on communities addressing the needs of local populations to improve lives and reduce inequalities. Occupational therapists are responding to these demands by expanding their scope of practice into innovative settings, such as working with refugees, the homeless and residents of nursing homes, and within sport and leisure environments. The benefits of sport are widely acknowledged, and this paper argues that occupational therapists could play a pivotal role in enabling people to participate. Method This qualitative study drew on a phenomenological approach and used interviews and thematic analysis to explore five occupational therapists’ experiences of enabling people to participate in sport. Findings Findings revealed that participants demonstrated the uniqueness of occupational therapy when enabling people to participate in sport and practised according to their professional philosophy. There were opportunities to reach wider communities and promote the value of occupational therapy by collaborating with organisations, but there were also challenges when working outside of traditional settings. Conclusion The study emphasises the unique skills occupational therapists can bring to this setting. It highlights opportunities to expand their practice, to forge new partnerships in sports and leisure environments, and to address the national inactivity crisis.


2021 ◽  
pp. 152483992110241
Author(s):  
Ellen M. Bloom ◽  
Kisha C. Hampton ◽  
Kimber Blackwell ◽  
Gary A. Gibson ◽  
Christopher Roberson ◽  
...  

Sickle cell disease (SCD) was once a disease of childhood because of a limited life expectancy. Due to medical advances, it is now common for people with SCD to live into adulthood. Funding and resources for adults with SCD, however, remain limited. Adult patients would benefit from increased access to medical care, mental health care services, and workforce development. The Indiana Sickle Cell Consortium, a group of medical providers and community-based organizations, worked closely with people living with SCD and their family members to create a campaign advocating for state funding for programs for adults with SCD. This campaign culminated with the passage of a bill that provides $250,000 in funding for program development for adults with SCD. The bill also directs the Indiana Department of Health to carry out a needs assessment for people with SCD in Indiana. However, continued efforts are needed to reduce health disparities for people with SCD. The Indiana Sickle Cell Consortium will continue advocacy efforts in future legislative cycles and bring attention to the health inequities that affect people with SCD.


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