Resource allocation, priority-setting and consensus in dementia care in Ireland
A key action under the National Dementia Strategy (2014) is the delivery of appropriate supports and services for people with dementia that can be accessed in people's own homes and local communities. There is also an emphasis in the Strategy to address the individual needs of people with dementia and their carers in a manner that is personal, responsive and flexible. Since 2011, a jointly funded programme between the HSE and The Atlantic Philanthropies has been seeking to develop innovative, personalised, community-based responses for people with dementia to enable them to live well at home for as long as possible, based on the implementation of a social model of care in a number of sites across the country. The aim of this study is to build upon this innovation to answer key questions regarding optimal service and support mix for people with dementia and to facilitate a more efficient and equitable resource allocation process that includes the implementation of personalised, community-based supports for people with the disease. People with dementia are directly involved in the study through their role as advisors in a Dementia Advisory Forum for the overall research programme and directly as participants in an Expert Group, working alongside care providers, making decisions on resource allocation for different levels of need in dementia. Optimality is achieved through facilitating stakeholder agreement and consensus on optimal care and support services, personalised care arrangements and placement decision-making rules for different and complex dementia case types, subject to fixed budget constraints. The unique value of this study is that the data and analysis are based on stakeholder consideration of real-life dementia cases matched to a rich tapestry of potential supports, thereby allowing resource allocation decision-making to be facilitated in a comprehensive and open manner for the first time in Irish social care.
- Award Date
- 24 February 2017
- Award Value
- €239755
- Principal Investigator
- Professor Eamon O'Shea
- Host Institution
- National University of Ireland, Galway
- Scheme
- Applied Partnership Awards