Facilitating Care Insight to Develop Caring Economies

We have worked in partnership with Cambridge Econometrics, a leader in data analysis and economic modelling, to explore the risks and opportunities different parts of the country face in planning and managing adult social care provision. Four local authorities worked with the charity to discuss the particular challenges they are grappling with at the local level: Brighton and Hove City Council, Essex County Council, Leeds City Council, and Nottingham City Council.

The research found that local areas are underpinned by different ‘care infrastructures’ that result in broad-ranging challenges as well as opportunities to transform outcomes for individuals. National social care policy needs to better acknowledge local differences if it is to result in tangible improvements to the quality of life people experience. Meanwhile, councils need a much better understanding of when and how people interact with the wider care ecosystem if they are to meet the future needs of the populations they serve – notwithstanding the challenge of assembling data and evidence for contemporary, person-centred approaches.