Abstract
This paper presents findings from interviews with social care service development managers and brokers in three local authorities. It follows an earlier study exploring choice and flexibility in home care services for older people using council-managed personal budgets. That study found that local authorities were limiting the number of providers on framework agreements for home care services so that there were sufficient to encourage competition but not so many that providers risked having insufficient business to remain financially viable. It also found that communication issues were affecting the proper functioning of brokerage systems. The current study therefore revisited the same three local authorities to investigate changes in framework agreements and developments in brokerage systems. The findings showed little change in the number of providers on framework agreements and remaining communication challenges for brokers. However, lessons had been learned from unforeseen consequences of framework agreements, and progress was being made towards encouraging market development and diversification of service provision.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank the local authorities that took part in this research and Caroline Glendinning for her guidance throughout the research and comments on a draft of this paper. This paper presents independent research funded by the NIHR School for Social Care Research. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR School for Social Care Research, Department of Health, NIHR or NHS.
Additional information
Notes on contributors
Kate Baxter
Kate Baxter is a Research Fellow in the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York. She works on a wide range of projects related to social care for adults and older people, using predominantly qualitative methods. She has particular interests in personal budgets and choice; social care markets; and self-funders.
Parvaneh Rabiee
Parvaneh Rabiee is a Research Fellow in the Social Policy Research Unit at the University of York. Her research interests include the needs of older and disabled people and challenges for service providers in responding to those needs, in particular choice and personalisation in social care and re-ablement.