Introduced in 2020, the Prevention and Enablement Model (PEM) is a test and learn Local Delivery Pilot (LDP) in Essex . Established to document and evaluate the impact of a whole system approach to adult health and social care, PEM places physical activity at its core, with an aim to measure the impact on improving the lives of people living with disabilities and/or long-term health conditions.
Driven by a strategic partnership between Adult Social Care at Essex County Council, Active Essex, and Sport for Confidence CIC, the initiative also involved a diverse range of wider partners across Adult Social Care, the NHS, and the third sector (e.g., local authorities, Essex County Council teams, Provider Quality Innovation Team, and care homes).
In October 2023 our work on the Prevention & Enablement Model was recognzed at the Chief Allied Health Professions Officer's Awards (CAHPOs) and we were awarded the Public Health Champion title.
Essex’s Prevention and Enablement Model (PEM) Independent Evaluation Report by the University of Essex Concludes:
the Positive Impact of Embedding Physical Activity Into A Whole System Approach To Adult Health & Social Care Could Deliver £58.72 of Social Value Per £1 Invested.
Key Findings
1. • Data compared to Sport England’s national Active Lives Survey indicates PEM may have the effect of improving the physical activity levels of a person living with a disability or long-term health condition to comparable levels of the rest of the population. This suggests PEM can play a crucial role in reducing health inequalities.
2. People accessing PEM services show a decrease in self-reported service use (i.e., day care, formal/informal support, GP appointments, 999 calls, and hospital visits). This reduction in service use is estimated to equate to a cost saving of £365.23 per PEM participant, per year.
3. Evaluation performed by State of Life took the 2021 Wellbeing Supplementary Guidance in the Treasury’s Green Book and applied the treasury recommended WELLBY to monetise the wellbeing value of PEM. The difference in life satisfaction between individuals about to start PEM and those one month into the programme is estimated to equate to a monetary value of £22,230 per person per year.
4. Scaling the value of reduced service use and higher life satisfaction to the typical number of unique users in Community Partnerships/Reconnect (where most data were collected) suggests that the total annual social value could exceed £20 million. When this benefit is considered against direct running costs, PEM could deliver up to an estimated £58.71 of social value for every £1 invested.
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