DH proposes body to assess value for money in adult care

The government is planning to set up an independent body to determine the cost-effectiveness of different care interventions for older and disabled people, along the lines of the National institute for Health and Clinical Excellence in the NHS.

Today’s green paper on the future funding of care and support said the proposed body would provide advice on what works best in care and support to help inform the decision-making of commissioners and users purchasing services.

It could also help design a social care evidence and research programme to assess gaps in the evidence base for social care.

The Department of Health suggested it could create a new body or give the remit to an existing organisation, such as the Social Care Institute for Excellence, whose current role is to identify and disseminate good practice on services.

Scie chief executive Julie Jones said it was “well-positioned to respond to this challenge”. She added: “For instance, we already lead on developing the evidence base. We have a wealth of information on what is effective, based on the experiences of the people who deliver and use services.”

We’ve already started working with partners to develop methodologies that help us to better understand cost-effectiveness in social care.”

The proposal comes with the DH due to report on a review of the effectiveness of Scie, the General Social Care Council and the Skills for Care in supporting the sector and its workforce, which could lead to significant reforms to the functions of each, including structural changes.

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