21.01.16
Community transport schemes ‘could save public sector up to £1bn’
A wide-scale roll-out of community transport services across the UK could save between £400m to £1.1bn a year in reduced health and social care costs while stamping out loneliness and isolation amongst the elderly, a report has found.
The analysis, written by Deloitte for the ECT community transport charity, assesses the impact of these operators on elderly and disabled people in the country. These services include minibuses for people on low incomes, dial-a-rides for those with disabilities or who can’t access conventional transport, and community buses/social car schemes for those outside the scope of the transport network.
Researchers estimated that the public sector dishes out between £1.3bn to nearly £3bn a year paying for early care admittance, increased use of home care and higher rates of hospital and A&E admissions, all of which could be mitigated with community transport schemes.
Considering the opportunities to socialise and access public services more readily, savings from these schemes were estimated to range from £400m to £1.1bn each year, with the most likely reduction around £750m.
“Moving forward, the issue of loneliness and isolation can no longer be dealt with in a reactive manner. Both as the problem scales and the resources to deal with effects are squeezed, the supporting network of services risk being pushed to breaking point,” the report says. “The results of this will not only be felt by the individuals in question, who not only see their health and quality of lives deteriorate as services fail to meet their needs, but also by wider society who must either pay for this issue, either through higher taxes or diverted public spending, or receive lower quality of services themselves.
“Community transport organisations are and can increasingly be a key mechanism for addressing both of these issues. Community transport enables older people to remain independent and engaged in society, removing barriers that would otherwise exist.”
Anna Whitty, the charity’s chief executive, said this will be particularly important in the coming years, when council budgets for public services continue to be cut.
“It is time to look at things in a different way and community transport is an important – but often invisible – part of the solution,” she said.
“Telling our story isn’t enough – we have to demonstrate the value of the benefit that we provide, especially when we are trying to convince councils, commissioners and government policymakers that community transport is a worthwhile investment.”
Whitty said the report was designed to inspire community transport managers to make use of its methodology to start measuring their schemes’ social value.
“And, if you are from a local authority or clinical commissioning group, maybe these ideas will help you to look afresh at the community transport organisations in your area, and support them to help you achieve your aims of improving the health and wellbeing of the people in your community,” she added.
Lilian Greenwood MP, shadow transport secretary, backed the report’s findings, saying there is now “no doubt in anyone’s mind” as to the “potentially huge” benefits that community transport schemes can deliver.
(Top image c. Nick Potts, PA Images)