National Care Service - social care support and service provision: evidence

5. How is this relevant to the NCS?

The National Care Service will be responsible for social work and social care services, including support for carers. It will also be responsible for planning and commissioning primary care and community health services, including mental health services. The existing data and analytical evidence provides useful context for informing the new National Care Service. The changing demographics both nationally and locally are key to informing future social care demand. The trends in changing social care service use and support will inform how existing services evolve. For example, proportionately more people are having their support needs met at home rather than in a care home. However, care homes have been seeing an increase in short stay admissions over time, reflecting a change in the types of services some care homes are providing^[25].

In the future, there will also be a requirement for new data and analytical evidence to monitor new services, for example, around prevention and anticipatory care. Furthermore, having more holistic data and evidence, particularly around the experiences and outcomes of people who access care and support will inform the development and provision of better services.