The Case of Think Home First

A recent report on the role of VCSE (Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise) organisations quotes government sources that VCSEs have been involved in over 17,500 government contracts worth £24.4 bn over a 5 year period.

This apparently equates to 4% of the total value and 6% of the total volume of public contracts awarded during the period April 2019 to March 2024.

It was during the era of the Blair government that the potential role of charities in delivering public sector contracts was fully taken on board. Ministers realised that charities and other voluntary sector organisations could perform many roles more efficiently and cost-effectively than either the public or the private sector.

During the time of the Blair and Brown administrations, the Northamptonshire-based charity SERVE put forward its Think Home First project. The aim of Think Home First was to provide mobile, low-cost teams who would support elderly people in their own homes for the 3-week period after their discharge from hospital until Social Services could provide more permanent care for them at home.

Think Home First won 2 major national health and social care awards. More importantly, from the public’s viewpoint, SERVE’s work saved taxpayers £1 million in unblocked beds and £400,000 in administrative costs in Northamptonshire during its first year of operation alone.

Sadly, the Cameron/Clegg administration in 2010 failed to see the benefits of Think Home First, and funding for it was withdrawn.

Perhaps our 2026 New Year resolution should involve a reassessment of the role of charities in public life, and build on past successes like Think Home First?