Ipsos research explores the feasibility of collecting data about the income and assets of adults with care and support needs.

Between 2021 and 2023, Ipsos led a multi-pronged feasibility study looking at ways to collect data about the income and assets of adults with care and support needs, on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC). 

This research was commissioned under the previous administration (11th May 2010 to 5th July 2024) and therefore does not reflect the policies of the current government. However, the findings on how data about income and assets could be collected and what data people would be willing to provide in a survey are still relevant.

There is currently a lack of robust data about the income and assets of adults with care and support needs in England, as well as other information such as demographics and spending on care. The collection of this data can be complex and sensitive with important ethical implications. To develop a better understanding of the future options for gathering this data, DHSC commissioned Ipsos and the Care Policy and Evaluation Centre (CPEC) at LSE to conduct a study to explore the feasibility and acceptability of collecting data on the characteristics of people with care needs, including financial data such as income and assets. The research sought to understand:

• How the assets of adults with care and support needs are impacted as they move through the care system;
• How funding arrangements play out in the real world, and the issues faced by those in different funding scenarios; and
• What the demographic characteristics of adults with care and support needs are.

The research identified a range of options for collecting data on the care needs, assets and income of adults with care and support needs in England. These options were divided into three groups, explored across four iterative workstreams involving literature reviews; interviews with people with care needs and their family members; interviews with key informants from across the adult social care sector; and the input of an expert reference group.

The options groups explored are outlined below:

• Options group 1 - Setting up a new survey of people with care needs, administered by local authorities, care providers or a third-party on behalf of DHSC
• Options group 2 - Using existing surveys to collect the required data
• Options group 3 - Using administrative data to assemble the required information

This research found that collecting information on the care needs, assets and income of adults with care needs will most likely require a combination of options, as none of the options examined could in isolation provide the information required. The most promising combination of options will partly depend on progress with the development of client level data returns from local authorities and whether or not aspects of adult social care charging reform are introduced in the future and what they involve. When the research was conducted the charging reform was expected to go ahead, and would have involved local authorities consistently collecting self-funders’ names and contact details when metering them toward the cap on care costs, or assessing their care and support needs in order to commission care on their behalf. However, the Chancellor has announced that the charging reform will not go ahead at this time. 

An executive summary of the research is published on DHSC’s website , along with links to the seven reports from the individual workstreams.

Laura Tuhou and Claire Lambert have written a blog with their reflections on what could make a survey asking about income, assets and care needs more acceptable to the people invited to take part.

Technical details: 

This research involved the following activities carried out between December 2021 and June 2023:
 

• A literature review of relevant prior studies, conducted by CPEC;
• In-depth interviews with key informants, including representation from care providers, local authorities, professional membership groups, and academic experts on adult social care, conducted by Ipsos;
• Secondary data analysis of two major national longitudinal surveys collecting some information on finances and care needs, and potential high level proxy measures of financial circumstances, conducted by CPEC
• An appraisal of the different options considered to collect the required data, conducted by Ipsos 
• In-depth and cognitive interviews with adults with care and support needs, and unpaid carers (including those with Power of Attorney for the person they care for), conducted by Ipsos following a favourable ethical opinion from a Research Ethics Committee at the Health Research Authority;
• Oversight, input, and feedback from an expert reference group comprised of key stakeholders and experts in the relevant fields.