Can We Get Better Value for Money in Long-term Care?

It is well established that ageing populations will lead to increases in the demand for services in the years to come, thereby putting upward pressure on total expenditure on formal long-term care (LTC) systems in a context where large spending items such as pensions and health are also expected to grow. This may well create pressure on governments to ensure that spending in the sector is well worth the expenditure, or, in other words, that systems of long-term care deliver value for money. A review of OECD countries’ experiences reveals different policies aimed at improving the efficiency of LTC systems and the “interface” between LTC and health care. However, it is evident that this is an area for further work: often, no definite conclusions can be drawn.