The adult specialist care market has stood up well to the challenges presented by Covid-19, according a report by consultancy LaingBuisson.
The impact of additional PPE and infection control costs are not posing the same “existential threat” on specialist care for younger adults with learning difficulties, mental health issues and acquired brain injury as faced by older people’s care, it found.
LaingBuisson’s fourth edition of its Adult Specialist Care UK Market Report says the impact of loss of business because of deaths and fewer new admissions has been “limited”.
“Adult specialist care has demonstrated that it is among the most robust social care sectors. While this is in no small measure attributable to public willingness to see the lifetime costs of some of the most vulnerable in our society covered, it has ridden out the storm of Covid-19 well,” said report author William Laing.
“Staffing levels returned to normal quickly and this sector did not experience the same negative impact as a result of a higher than usual number of deaths or reduction in admissions,” he added.
LaingBuisson believes the experience of Covid-19 may accelerate the digitisation of social care due to the benefits of digital record keeping and the ability to pass patient records between agencies at the height of the crisis.
“Adult specialist care would likely receive a further boost if it were to adapt well to the forthcoming digital revolution and gain from the efficiencies of being a pioneer of truly joined up care,” said Laing.
He added: “(Adult specialist care) continues to be attractive to investors, offering as it does relatively safe, long-term, index-linked returns and this is important given the predominance of the independent sector in service provision to this highly fragmented market".
