Social care

The Green Paper "Independence, well-being and choice: a vision for adult social care in England" (March 2005) sets out a vision for the future of social care for adults in the same way that "Every Child Matters" (Autumn 2004) sets out a vision for children's services. New guidance has also been published on the role of the Director of Adult Social Services.

The intention is to support local authorities in implementing the structural changes resulting from the 2004 Children Act, which separates adult and children's services, and to create a clear focus on managing the requirements of adults with social care needs. The national services framework (NSF) for older people, and the NSF for long term conditions are likewise key policy drivers in the social and healthcare sectors.

PricewaterhouseCoopers is able to draw on the skills and knowledge of over 30 advisers experienced in working with, and in, health and social care organisations, both at central and local level, and in the private and voluntary sectors.

Potential issues

Organisational change

Understanding and dealing with the operational implications of the split of adult and children's services · Developing integration across health and social care to develop seamless services and person-centred care · Assisting the process of organisational change through the use of Section 31 of the Health Act 1999 and the implementation of the single assessment process for older people

Policy development and delivery

Costing policy options and assessing the feasibility of future policies · Consulting stakeholders on policy developments · Evaluating the impact of policies

Partnership effectiveness

Clarifying the need for and acceptance of partnerships · Developing and maintaining trust · Ensuring that partnering arrangements are clear and robust

Commissioning

Ensuring that commissioning frameworks and strategies reflect the challenging environment · Developing capacity and skills through partnerships and collaborative agreements · Improving commissioners' understanding of the local market · Assisting in the development of a more diverse market

Performance management

Assessing the effectiveness of existing frameworks and developing or improving frameworks · Training staff to understand and use performance management data to improve operational performance

PwC services

• Advising on options for adult services in the light of the implications of restructuring children's services
• Supporting sustainable improvements to local authority, primary care, acute and mental health performance and service delivery
• Assessing the existing market for adult services and identifying gaps in provision
• Considering the appetite and capacity for extended service provision and the degrees of contestability
• Undertaking thought leadership to assess the costs and benefits of new service offerings