Background

The expected future growth in the number of older people could well be accompanied by other changes, including:

• greater asset holdings;
• widening wealth inequalities;
• changing preferences – for greater choice and responsibility;
• changing attitudes to residential care due to the pandemic;
• rising expectations about the quality of care;
• changing policy context, with implications for how social care is financed (balance between public vs private);
• fewer family carers relative to the numbers needing care; changing labour market for social care staff because of Brexit;
• new interconnections between NHS, social care and other sectors;
• changes in coverage and value of occupational pensions;
• changes in the age of onset of social care needs;
• growth of multiple long-term conditions.

Almost any one of the above factors alone could potentially alter preferences for care. Two or more of these possible changes could substantially alter social care preferences for many aspects of social care.

Aims and objectives

• To understand current preferences for different aspects and models of social care.
• To speculate, on the basis of the best evidence, how those preferences might change in the future.

Resources and further information

• Preferences for new models of care research study: Phase One (December 2022) – Briefing Summary, Executive Summary, Full Report (PDF).
• Executive Summary: Preferences for new models of care research study: Phase Two (PDF).
• Webinar recording: Preferences for new models of social care for people with high care needs (YouTube).
• Publication: Preferences of people 50 years and older when thinking of their future care needs (Journal of Long-Term Care).

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