Assessing Service Needs at the Local Level
Many public services in the UK are funded, managed and delivered within an explicit geographic framework. Whilst this respects local governance and encourages a sensitivity to the needs of local populations, significant inequalities in service provision can accrue if the varying needs of local communities are inadequately understood. Establishing the service needs of local populations is an essential prerequisite to the equitable and efficient provision of public services.
Unfortunately, public sector organisations have often had to rely on indirect proxy indicators of service needs in small areas or for specific populations (such as those served by particular schools or general practices). These tend to be based on either an analysis of existing patterns of service use or one of the standard indices of deprivation. Both approaches are deeply problematic. The former cannot capture unmet need, and may merely serve to reinforce existing inequalities in service provision, whilst the latter assumes a predictable and consistent relationship between indices of deprivation and service need. Even when the two approaches are combined, as in many resource allocation models, the extent to which they can adequately proxy the actual needs of populations is widely doubted.
What are required are robust, transparent and cost-effective mechanisms by which to directly estimate the specific service needs of local populations. RAE Consulting offers its expertise in the application of three approaches by which to directly assess the service needs of local populations. Using these approaches it is possible to directly estimate service needs down to Small Output Area (SOA) level (see below).
Tailoring the appropriate approach to the client's specific requirements, RAE Consulting thus offers a cost-effective route by which to identify service needs at the local level; fulfilling organisational and statutory requirements for a reliable evidence base upon which to allocate resources, configure services, or target specific interventions.