Background: Person-centred community-based support services (PCCBSS) are an array of non-clinical services provided by organisations such as NHS Trusts, voluntary sector organisations or local authorities. PCCBSS signpost people to local sources of social, emotional and practical support in their communities. All PCCBSS involve somebody talking with the service user before directing them to a range of relevant support. This person might be known as a ‘social prescriber’, ‘link worker’, ‘signposter’, ‘navigator’, ‘connector’ or ‘neighbourhood coach’.
Despite much recent investment in PCCBSS, little is understood about how they are implemented. Research is required across different contexts to describe PCCBSS implementation; in particular, how social care providers successfully interact to support implementing PCCBSS, and how PCCBSS have responded to circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Purpose: The aim of this post-implementation mixed methods study is to explore how PCCBSS are implemented and become part of usual working practice.
Using up to 5 UK services as case studies, we will examine the implementation of PCCBSS (and service modifications to accommodate the pandemic) and establish where there is learning for the wider adult social care system.

Focus: The study comprises two work packages (WPs):
WP1: collecting data by reviewing service documents from ≤5 PCCBSS case studies;
WP2: interviewing staff and service users (≤20 participants per PCCBSS).

Following this work, in a project extension to December 2025, we will present initial findings to focus groups of adult social care stakeholders to identify how PCCBSS and social care could collaboratively work to best support implementation of future services in the community.

To produce our findings, we will systematically extract key implementation data (from WPs1&2) into a piloted coding frame; combining contextual determinants from the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) with process-related domains from Normalization Process Theory (NPT). These final findings will form an online implementation toolkit to guide setting up future PCCBSS. During the project extension, this online toolkit will be tested with other PCCBSS in more diverse settings (age, ethnicity, rurality, etc.) than the North West Coast local population presents in order to allow its use with broader populations.

If you would like to find out more about the project, please contact Jo Weldon jcweldon@uclan.ac.uk