A report into the economic contribution of the voluntary sector has outlined its role in easing the pressure on health and care services.
WCVA recently commissioned the University of South Wales (USW) to conduct a rapid review report, The contribution of voluntary organisations to the health and care prevention agenda. It highlights several key findings at a time when pressure on public resources is increasing alongside calls on the voluntary sector to demonstrate value for money.
The report identified available economic evidence that demonstrates the importance of voluntary sector services in complementing statutory services and, ultimately, saving the public purse money.
It outlined 28 pieces of evidence which formed five key themes – peer support, outdoor interventions (such as gardening or walking clubs), long-term conditions, social prescribing, and help at home.
SAVING MONEY
The report shows several ways in which the work of the voluntary sector in health and social care has made savings, including:
- A social return on investment (SROI) of £1.17-£5.18 for every £1 invested from dementia peer support groups.
- An SROI of £3 for every £1 invested from a London-based community garden.
- A study of volunteers helping older people get online showed an SROI of £1.40-£1.80 for every £1 invested.
- A study of a social prescribing intervention across four South Wales primary care practices showed a direct cost saving of over £6,000 across the five months of activity.
The report also highlights cases where sector involvement does not show interventions to be cost-effective. However, it concludes that ‘the economic evidence indicates that… interventions can enhance clinical and wellbeing outcomes’, while also noting ‘cost effectiveness should not be the only driver in commissioning or funding the voluntary sector.’
INCREASING PRESSURE
Dr Llinos Haf Spencer, lead researcher at USW said: ‘There is increasing pressure on all our health and social care resources in Wales, and this makes prevention of ill health a major priority. There is a growing body of evidence in relation to social prescribing and how community-based interventions can be cost saving to the NHS.
‘The voluntary sector is really important in delivering many of the services that are available to vulnerable people and if we can put a value on their contribution, they may be able to make an effective case for further funding in the future. Volunteers working in those services provide added value. However, there are costs to volunteering, but also benefits for the volunteers themselves as well as the people they support.’
‘A VITAL PART OF OUR HEALTH & CARE SYSTEM’
Johanna Davies, WCVA’s Head of Health and Social Care, said: ‘The voluntary sector and the support it provides to people and communities is a vital part of our health and care system.
‘Voluntary organisations deliver high quality outcomes for people, but it’s much harder to evidence our economic contribution to funders. This report hopes to establish what evidence there is and help WCVA and USW identify areas for future research.
‘We want the evidence from this report to be used by the voluntary sector to support their funding applications and conversations with commissioners. An integrated community care system must value, trust and respect the sector for its role in achieving good outcomes for people and communities.’
FIND OUT MORE
To express an interest in this report and future work contact WCVA’s Health and Care Project.