Exploring the economics of unified budgets for health and social care

HEOM015 PhD project: Exploring the economics of unified budgets for health and social care

Project contact: Hannah Penton

Better care plans are currently being developed by Clinical Commissioning Groups to aid this transition to unified budgets, critically in helping to identify where cost savings can be made for both the NHS and social services.  Policies with multi-sectoral impacts may also require different methodologies to assess cost-effectiveness and there will be additional considerations in considering how to consolidate the various outcomes. 

Methods used to assess cost-effectiveness in healthcare may not be appropriate when assessing social care interventions and there may be additional issues when consolidating outcomes observed in both areas, particularly when trade-offs may have to be made. Measures of benefit such as the QALY may also be inappropriate in social care. The use of well-being measures may be more appropriate.