Older people's access to public and private services

Researchers: Charlotte Hamilton, Gillian Parker (supervisor), Mary Godfrey (supervisor, University of Leeds)

Funder: Economic and Social Research Council

Duration: October 2011 to September 2014

Background

There have been radical changes in the ways in which both public and private sector services are provided and positioned within the last 20 years. Local shops and post offices have closed, retail outlets have conglomerated ‘out-of’ or ‘on the edge of’ towns, patterns of car ownership and public transport have changed, the internet can be used for shopping and renewal of licences, and primary and secondary health care provision has altered (again, with a trend to conglomeration and movement from the local). There have been periodic reports on the impact of changes in public services on older people. However, there appears to be little research that systematically examines and tracks these changes alongside those in private sector services, explores the possible impact of both on older people’s ability to live independently in the community, or examines the ways in which they interact with poor health, impairment or general frailty. At a time of far-reaching changes to both public and private sector services, the need to explore these interactions is urgent.

Aims

The aim of the project is to examine how changes in public and private service provision impact on the experiences of older people. We aim to:

• identify and track change in the UK in the provision and positioning of public and selected private services, drawing both on published research and primary data sources
• hypothesise about the ways in which these changes might have affected the ability of older people to maintain independence while living in the community
• explore these hypotheses, via in-depth, qualitative research with older people
• set the acquired knowledge within a social policy context.

Methodology

The project will be a case study design and use a combination of one-to-one interviews and focus groups with older people.

If you require further information about the project, please contact Charlotte Hamilton