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Efficient targeting of community care - the case of the home help service

Bebbington, Andrew, Davies, Bleddyn P. (1993) Efficient targeting of community care - the case of the home help service. Journal of Social Policy, 22 . pp. 373-391. ISSN 0047-2794. (doi:10.1017/s0047279400019589) (The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:20792)

The full text of this publication is not currently available from this repository. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided.
Official URL:
https://doi.org/10.1017/s0047279400019589

Abstract

By 1985 community care, of which the home help service is one of the cornerstones, was on the brink of a major change which would fundamentally affect targeting. The new focus is a concentration on those in greatest need, responsiveness to the needs of carers, and to the potential for the self financing of care. The analysis given here indicates that huge changes in targeting of the service will have been needed from the situation in 1985 to meet these new policies, changes which might be expected to move the service away from its traditional role of monitoring the very old living alone. Analysis of the period between 1980 and 1985, using the General Household Survey, shows that the targeting effect of new policies is not easy to predict. The slight increase in home care during the period did not reflect an improvement in targeting on the demonstrably most needy, but instead apparently spread the service more widely. Re-examination of equity, territorial and gender issues shows that only limited progress had been made. Indeed, gender discrimination may even have increased. While the UK may not wish to go as far as some other countries in allocating community care according to fixed eligibility criteria, come what may, targeting concepts will be increasingly salient for monitoring the community care policy's achievement.

Item Type: Article
DOI/Identification number: 10.1017/s0047279400019589
Subjects: H Social Sciences
Divisions: Divisions > Division for the Study of Law, Society and Social Justice > School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research > Personal Social Services Research Unit
Depositing User: R.F. Xu
Date Deposited: 22 Oct 2009 19:11 UTC
Last Modified: 09 Mar 2023 11:31 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/20792 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

University of Kent Author Information

Bebbington, Andrew.

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