Update 23 January: Robin Miller has written an article in the Guardian to accompany this publication.
New independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research's School for Social Care Research (SSCR) confirms the significance of the role third sector organisations (TSOs) have historically played in the delivery of adult social care, and that TSOs remain a popular choice with local authority commissioners as providers of preventative services.
While the research finds positive aspects within the current arrangements, it also identifies gaps in setting and understanding outcomes.
Read the full SSCR report:
The report references the joint TSRC/Health Service Management Centre publication The Role of the Third Sector in Delivering Adult Social Care: A Scoping Review, and TSRC's 2010 Working Paper The Third Sector Delivering Public Services: An Evidence review.