The Preferences of Older Self-funders Navigating Community Social Care (the PRESENCE study)

SPRU research team

• Kate Baxter
• Yvonne Birks
• Kate Gridley
• Rowan Jasper
• Mark Wilberforce
• Natalie Leworthy

External collaborators

• Stuart Wright, Manchester Centre for Health Economics, University of Manchester
• Sarah Tonks and Richard Morfitt, Hull City Council

Project summary

Under the Care Act, local authorities have a duty to ensure that all people who live in their areas can get the information, advice and support that they need to make good decisions about meeting their home support needs. Yet there is a wide gap between the assistance available for those eligible for local authority care and others who self-fund. Prior research has found the latter group to receive minimal assistance, who are largely left to navigate a complex system alone, often at a difficult time. 

The PRESENCE study aims to examine and evaluate what self-funders and their families want when navigating care systems, and how they make their decisions. Combining economic methods with qualitative interviews, the study will investigate what’s important to different types of self-funders, rather than assume a ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach. The results will enable local authorities to appraise how well self-funders are helped with decisions locally, and will bring together national stakeholders in forming recommended practice.

Additional information