Whose responsibility is it anyway? Unpacking prevention during service delivery to support value co-creation

Abstract

Preventive reforms typically emphasize individual responsibility or the mobilization of community assets, but an enduring implementation gap exists. The ongoing stalemate calls for a fundamental shift in the way public services are understood and delivered. Central to this shift is understanding the complex interplay between roles, responsbility and multi-layered contexts shaping service delivery and outcomes. Drawing on qualitative research on health and social care, we explore how roles, responsibilities and service delivery approaches are framed. Through our analysis, we propose three broad approaches to service delivery, contributing to the nascent literature on value co-creation in complex public service settings.