Thiery, H. orcid.org/0000-0001-9108-5721, Cook, J., Burchell, J. orcid.org/0000-0002-5142-5346 et al. (5 more authors) (2023) Transforming adult social care systems? A systematic review of the costs and outcomes of local area coordination in England and Wales. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 8 (1). 100714. ISSN 2590-2911
Abstract
Adult Social Care (ASC) in England faces an ‘existential crisis’, caught between increased demand for services and continued cuts to social care and local government budgets. Increasingly, it is argued that this crisis cannot be solved without reforming our ASC systems and services, with policy shifts in the UK moving towards preventative interventions in order to reduce costs and improve the experience of service users. We currently lack detailed understanding about the effectiveness and the cost of such approaches; this systematic review addresses this gap by examining the potential costs and outcomes for one particular model of prevention, which has international reach, Local Area Coordination (LAC). A total of 14 studies – all single-site evaluations of LAC in England and Wales – were reviewed to understand the existing evidence base of the costs and outcomes of LAC programmes. A narrative synthesis approach found a range of outcomes and costs for individuals, families, communities and systems, reported across the studies. The most commonly reported outcomes were at the level of the individual including improvements in health and wellbeing, increased independence, improved relationships, connections and access to community resources, and improved personal safety, security and stability. Economic impact included cost deferral, avoidance and prevention focused on key areas, including health, housing and finance. Evaluation early in the life of the LACs meant evidence of community and system-level outcomes was more limited. Whilst this review adds to the growing body of work around the value of preventative approaches to health and social care; further research on the longer term impact is needed.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). |
Keywords: | Local Area Coordination; Social care; Prevention; Early intervention; Asset-based; Evaluation; Strengths-based |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Sheffield |
Academic Units: | The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Social Sciences (Sheffield) > Management School (Sheffield) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE NIHR131358 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Sheffield |
Date Deposited: | 07 Mar 2025 14:21 |
Last Modified: | 07 Mar 2025 14:21 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Elsevier BV |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.ssaho.2023.100714 |
Sustainable Development Goals: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:224193 |