Predicting self-funder pick-ups

Summary

Self-funder pick-ups are where someone was funding their own social care, but deplete their assets to the point where they become eligible for council funding. Signposting to relevant community based services and provision of information and advice on social care options could help reduce the costs of social care to Worcestershire residents and also to the Council through reductions in self-funder pick-ups.

Supported by NHS Digital, Worcestershire County Council undertook a project to produce analysis of the characteristics of self-funder pick-ups and predict those at most risk of becoming self-funder pick-ups, to inform targeting of information and advice on social care options.

The analysis of self-funder pick-ups has been well-received and will help inform the approach to targeting information and advice on social care options. The research has demonstrated that it is possible to combine social care data with geodemographic data to better understand the household types that use council funded social care and to gain insight into the characteristics that may influence demand for social care. This approach can be used beyond self-funder pick-ups and will be drawn on in future research to identify risk factors and predict the risk of needing council funded adult social care more widely.

Synopsis

Self-funder pick-ups are where someone was funding their own social care, but deplete their assets to the point where they become eligible for council funding. Signposting to relevant community based services and provision of information and advice on social care options could help reduce the costs of social care to Worcestershire residents and also to the Council through reductions in self-funder pick-ups.

Supported by NHS Digital, Worcestershire County Council undertook a project to produce analysis of the characteristics of self-funder pick-ups and predict those at most risk of becoming self-funder pick-ups, to inform targeting of information and advice on social care options.

The analysis of self-funder pick-ups has been well-received and will help inform the approach to targeting information and advice on social care options. The research has demonstrated that it is possible to combine social care data with geodemographic data to better understand the household types that use council funded social care and to gain insight into the characteristics that may influence demand for social care. This approach can be used beyond self-funder pick-ups and will be drawn on in future research to identify risk factors and predict the risk of needing council funded adult social care more widely.

What should LARIA members learn from your award entry?

The research provides evidence of variables that may be important in predicting risk of self-funder pick-ups. It also provides a method which others can use to identify household types which are likely to have self-funder pick-ups in order to inform targeting of information and advice on social care options.

The research has demonstrated that it is possible to combine social care user data with geodemographic data to better understand the household types that use council funded social care and to gain insight into the characteristics that may influence demand for social care. This is an approach that can be used beyond self-funder pick-ups to predict the risk of needing council funded adult social care more widely.