Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2003

Unit Costs of Health and Social Care 2003, compiled by Ann Netten and Lesley Curtis. This is the eleventh volume of a series designed to improve unit cost estimates over time, drawing on material as it becomes available, including ongoing and specially commissioned research. It brings together information from a variety of sources to estimate national unit costs for a wide range of health and social care services.

The costs reported always reflect, to a greater or lesser degree, work in progress, as the intention is to refine and improve estimates wherever possible, drawing on a wide variety of sources. The report consists of sets of schemata; or tables, which as well as providing the most detailed and comprehensive information possible, also quote sources and assumptions so users can adapt the information for their own purposes. Also included are: an editorial discussing current and new developments; brief articles providing background to user services, descriptions of cost methodology or use of cost estimates; price indices; a reference list of key studies; a glossary; and indexes.

New in this edition: This volume includes the unit costs of pharmacists, including the costs of the initial investment in training and schemata that illustrate the costs of caring for technology dependent children. Information about the costs of training health service professionals is included separately for the first time.

There are three brief articles: description of a cost-effectiveness evaluation illustrating the influence of between-scheme variations on the estimation of unit costs for three intermediate care services in South London; a brief article and schema about the costs of a Rapid Response team which provides rapid assessment and immediate treatment for patients in their own homes; and a description of methodological changes which include the use of reference costs as the primary source for information about inpatient and outpatient costs and the change in the discount rate. This last is discussed in the editorial; the change has been made in response to new Treasury guidance and has a substantial impact on the cost of capital.