The social care-related quality of life (SCRQOL) and Carer-reported quality of life (Carer QoL) tools in the MAX toolkit can help you to calculate adjusted quality of life scores using your ASCS and PSS SACE datasets. These scores take into account the characteristics of the service user or carer that are known to affect quality of life and, by doing so, provides a more accurate estimation of service impact or organizational performance. As the characteristics of service users and carers may vary over time and/or between local authorities (LAs), the adjusted quality of life scores also provide a more meaningful measure for benchmarking activities.
From 2016/7 onwards, the adjusted SCRQOL scores will be used to populate a new indicator in the Adult Social Care Outcomes Framework (ASCOF) – ASCOF 1J: Adjusted Social care-related quality of life: impact of Adult Social Care services – and will be included in the summary reports produced and circulated by NHS Digital. The SCRQOL tool, however, can be used to calculate adjusted SCRQOL scores for the previous years.
The adjustment calculations and tools were developed through research conducted by the Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU), University of Kent, as part of the Identifying the Impact of Social Care (IIASC) project. Please click here to access the project summary report.
Introduction
Measuring the impact of services using Adult Social Care Survey (ASCS) data [presentation] [recorded presentation]
Measuring the impact of services using Carers’ Survey (PSS SACE) data [presentation] [recorded presentation]
Training
The following pre-recorded presentations provide an overview of each of the tabs in the SCRQoL [ASCOF 1A] and Carer QoL [ASCOF 1D] tools and demonstrations of how you can conduct a t-test or analysis of variance (ANOVA). Additional guidance on how to create box plots is also provided. Please note: these videos are based on the SCRQoL tool but are also relevant to the Carer QOL tool.
Introduction to the SCRQoL Tool [2]: the summary tables tab [video]
Introduction to the SCRQoL Tool [3]: the t-tests tab [video]
Introduction to the SCRQoL Tool [4]: the ANOVA tab [video]
Introduction to the SCRQoL Tool [5]: the box plots tab [video]
Introduction to box plots [video] [slides]
Tools
Please note: the full functionality of the MAX spreadsheet tools requires that you have Microsoft Excel 2010 or later, and that you have also installed the Analysis ToolPak and Real Statistics Resource Pack add-in programmes. Instructions on how to install these add-ins can be accessed here.
Carer-reported quality of life (QOL) [ASCOF 1D]
2014/5 data collection [analysis tool] [instructions]
2016/7 data collection [analysis tool] [instructions]
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