Improving community support for older people's needs through commissioning third sector services: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Services Research
• Social Care Policy

Background:

• Third sector organizations provide vital services for older people's wellbeing and independence.
• State funding (commissioning) of third sector health services in the UK is under-researched.
• These organizations can reach vulnerable populations and offer valuable community intelligence.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the feedback of service data from third sector providers to commissioners.
• To determine if this data could enhance population intelligence and inform future commissioning decisions for older people's services.

Main Methods:

• Exploratory study involving semi-structured interviews with commissioners and third sector providers.
• Focus groups conducted with older people who could benefit from wellbeing services.
• Recruitment from five purposively selected sites in the East Midlands, England.

Main Results:

• Commissioning arrangements were diverse, often complex, and frequently involved co-production.
• Commissioners valued third sector organizations for community engagement and outreach but did not fully utilize reported service/outcome data.
• Challenges included complex assessment tools and a lack of data analysis within contract arrangements.

Conclusions:

• Diverse commissioning models exist for third sector services for older people.
• While data is reported, commissioners do not consistently use it to inform future commissioning, suggesting a need for improved outcome measurement and data utilization.