Delivery model for targeted prevention

Delivery model for targeted prevention

The delivery model developed through this programme provides a practical roadmap for implementing, evidencing, and sustaining prevention at scale alongside system partners.

Why do we need a delivery model for proactive prevention?

Local authorities implementing prevention initiatives report several common challenges - when surveyed, authorities participating in the programme identified managing financial pressures, quantifying benefits, and having clarity on implementation best practices as their biggest barriers to scaling prevention efforts.

The delivery model and evidence framework developed through this programme directly address these challenges by providing:

A practical roadmap for implementing, evidencing, and sustaining prevention at scale alongside system partners, moving beyond high-level concepts to actionable steps.

A consistent framework that allows for local flexibility while establishing common approaches that can build a national evidence base.

A proportionate evaluation approach that balances rigor with practicality, designed to demonstrate the financial impact of prevention initiatives to both local finance directors and central government stakeholders in addition to wellbeing benefits for residents.

The delivery model and evaluation guidance

Five steps to targeted, proactive prevention at scale

As demonstrated by the delivery model illustration above, based on good practice emerging from the sector there are five key steps to delivering targeted, proactive prevention at scale, each of which will be discussed in the following sections of this toolkit:

Two elderly friends sharing tea and conversation at a cozy table

Stage 1: Identify and prioritise residents based on impact

The purpose of this stage is to identify which groups of residents to focus prevention interventions on first, to have the greatest possible impact.

Two senior women walking together and smiling on a city street

Stage 2: Get to know the people we want to support holistically

This stage recognises that effective prevention requires understanding not just what challenges a person faces, but what matters to them, what capabilities they possess, and what barriers might prevent engagement with support, so that the most suitable preventative support can be offered.

Older woman in pink sweater standing confidently with blurred person behind

Stage 3: Actively connect people to the right intervention or support

The purpose of this stage is to effectively connecting people with the right combination of support to address their specific circumstances and build resilience.

Smiling older person in white shirt standing in an office with posters

Stage 4: Measure and drive the impact we're aiming for

The purpose of this stage is to measure the scale of impact that we are expecting to achieve, and make sure that the right mechanisms in place to achieve this result, continuously reviewing and adapting.

Elderly woman smiling while working on a colorful jigsaw puzzle at home

Stage 5: Sustain the model and benefits for this cohort

The purpose of this stage is to embed the approach into everyday operations and to prepare for expansion to additional groups of people who could benefit.

Elderly gardener carefully planting seedlings in pots surrounded by greenery

Prevention through co-production

For local authorities effectively implementing targeted, proactive prevention models for older people, coproducing, codesigning, and working in partnership with people drawing on care and support, as well as those who may need to draw on care and support in the future, is central to success.

Evaluation guidance

This evaluation guidance has been developed in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure it meets both local and national requirements for demonstrating prevention's value.

This toolkit describes a delivery model that can be used by local authorities to help to achieve the vision for targeted, proactive prevention for older people set out in our vision page.

For each stage of the delivery model, the following information is provided:

the key steps;
common barriers to implementing and suggested mitigations;
the implications at each stage for evidencing prevention; and
the key points of each stage.

Elderly man with long white beard exercising on fitness equipment

Explore further

There are three key elements to a robust approach to evidencing targeted, proactive prevention initiatives which are also outlined:

Elderly woman preparing food in kitchen with baking tray and ingredients

Build an early evidence case that secures initial investment

Building a business case for proactive prevention has much in common with the approach taken to other public sector business cases, and centres on using information from the five stages of the delivery model to help populate the Treasury's 'five cases'.

Older woman using hula hoop outdoors with another person in background

Agree and track key measures of success

Although one of the most complex aspects of shifting to a proactive preventative approach, there is now significant learning across the sector about how best to measure the impact of prevention interventions.

Elderly person wearing headphones in a public space with blurred background

Capturing personal stories that bring data to life

While rigorous quantitative evidence is essential, the most compelling cases for prevention centre on impact for real people. Prevention has tremendous potential to transform lives in ways that statistics alone cannot convey.

Find out how to embed the voice of people in proactive prevention