Contracts and commissioning: what’s happening to social care services for black and minority ethnic older people

The purpose of this paper is to explore current provision of targeted social care services for the growing populations of Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) older people in England and Wales.

This was a mixed study. Following a review of the policy and research literature, 12 semi-structured interviews were undertaken in 2013/2014. Most participants were recruited from BAME policy and service provider organisations and organisations focusing on older people.

There is some evidence that BAME voluntary organisations are experiencing disproportionately greater funding cuts than mainstream voluntary service providers: moreover some mainstream providers reported reducing services targeted at BAME older people, while others expressed the view that choices for BAME older people are likely to become more limited following recent health and equalities policy changes.

Practitioners should contribute to data collection about protected characteristics, such as race/ethnicity to establish if BAME older people’s needs are being assessed equitably, whether access to care and support is easy; and how market-shaping at local levels can ensure a range of providers.

This study provides an overview of voluntary sector provision for the growing numbers of BAME older people in need of care and support that should be useful to practitioners and service commissioners.