Co-Production and Self-Care: New Approaches to Managing Community Care Services for Older People1

A lack of management theory which is relevant to human service agencies, combined with a failure to recognize the very large contribution which older people make to their own care, makes it difficult to deliver supportive services effectively. Self care by elders is divided, in this preliminary classification, into new strategies for everyday living, the reallocation of time and the avoidance of risk. Managers who understand that service users are co-producers of care and recognize the need to manage the users, as well as their own staff and relations with other agencies, are more likely to be able to deliver good services. However the management of co-production is at present only theorized for the private sector where ethical issues are less pressing and users are customers. In future a greater understanding of co-production and the development of theory and practice which will combine the management of co-production with the empowerment of users within the public sector will be essential.