Improving the lives of less fortunate people in society is the most rewarding and inspirational thing anyone can do.
Being able to make a positive contribution by just “being yourself” whilst “playing a game you love” with people who genuinely appreciate your friendship, compassion and support has got to be the best job out there.
When I began in September with my vision to improve people’s lives by introducing them to golf, I never dreamt it would have such an immediate impact. The speed at which the pilot has gathered momentum and delivered compelling social outcomes has amazed me.
I’ve spent the last few weeks measuring the outcomes generated during the pilot phase. The results are compelling evidence that micro-services, such as “Golf Days Out”, are probably the best way to deliver person-centred care in our local communities.
It’s widely accepted that for every £1 of investment the average social return is between £6 and £7. I’ve used this as the benchmark figure to assess our performance against other social care services.
The Social Return On Investment (SROI) delivered by our golf scheme has been an amazing £10.68. That’s over 60% higher than the average social return!!
The social impact created by our service can stand the closest scrutiny – and that’s why it’s such compelling evidence. The fact that it’s been piloted, tested, tweaked and evaluated by a team of compassionate and talented people means that we’re in a strong position to present it’s undoubted potential to stakeholders very soon!!
With the ever-increasing pressure on Local Authority and NHS budgets and the continuous growth in our elderly population, this is exactly the type of social return we should be delivering through other social care services.
Getting healthcare stakeholders to embrace new services that can deliver compelling social outcomes is crucial if we are to succeed in our quest to provide quality care for our “Golden Generation”.
Micro-services have a huge part to play in providing the person-centred care our ageing population deserve.
