New research shows that outsourcing care homes in England disproportionately disadvantages poorer areas

Outsourcing care homes has compromised the accessibility and quality of care for the most vulnerable, especially in areas of greatest poverty, according to new research led by the University of Oxford’s Department of Social Policy and Intervention. The results, published in BMJ Public Healthraise questions about the role of the for-profit private sector in exacerbating the ongoing healthcare sector crisis.

The impact of outsourcing vital healthcare services to the private sector on the growth and survival of care homes was previously unclear. The research is the first longitudinal study of care home closures in England, using complete data on all care home closures, including inspection assessments.

The analysis shows that the shift to profit-oriented facilities is not explained by the quality of care. The results suggest that third sector and local authority properties are consistently rated better than for-profit properties by the sector regulator (the CQC), but are 1.6 and 1.8 times more likely to be closed compared with for-profit housing.

Lead author Dr. Anders Bach-Mortensen (Associate Professor at Roskilde University and Senior Researcher at the Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford) said: “Good housing from the third sector and local authorities are closing, especially in the poorest areas of the world. the country.

“This is problematic because for-profit care homes do not consistently provide high-quality care in underserved areas, raising serious questions about whether outsourcing care services has inadvertently compromised the equity and accessibility of care for vulnerable people.”

Co-author Dr. Benjamin Goodair (Department of Social Policy and Intervention at the University of Oxford) said: “This study aims to contribute to the growing body of work on the number of social care services outsourced to non-profit organizations and non-profit providers from the for-profit sector over the past thirty years. The data shows that the competitive environment created by outsourcing does not prioritize quality or equity in healthcare delivery.”

The challenges highlighted by the CQC, advocacy groups and other regulators underline the need for a comprehensive approach to supporting these essential services so that they can continue to provide high-quality care, especially in the most deprived areas. Addressing these challenges will require coordinated efforts from policymakers, funding agencies and the healthcare sector to create a more resilient and equitable system.

The analysis was based on data on forced closures requested by the CQC and the CQC’s publicly available data repository. Registered NHS Trust charities, councils and care homes were considered ‘not-for-profit’ or public, while all private companies, partnerships and individual providers without a charity number were considered ‘for-profit’.