New guidance to support integrated and person-centred care for people with health and social care needs

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TLAP, commissioned by the Department of Health, the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services and in association with Coalition for Collaborative Care, today launch a major new online tool to support this approach and to aid broader implementation of the Care Act.

The personalised care and support planning tool is aimed at commissioners, planners, clinicians and practitioners across the health and social care system grappling with the complex changes needed to deliver person-centred, coordinated care.

Through a series of case study scenarios developed with clinicians, social care professionals, voluntary sector partners and people with lived experience, it demonstrates how different journeys through personalised care and support planning (PCSP) could look for people with multiple long term conditions, mental health problems, learning disabilities and dementia when a radical new approach is embraced.

Personalised care and support planning is at the heart of the vision for a sustainable health and care system, where the renewable energy of people and communities is harnessed to deliver improvements in health and wellbeing. It is mandated in the Care Act 2014, is part of the reforms underway through the NHS Five Year Forward View and is central to the national and local programmes that are shaping the future through new models of integrated care.

Personalised care and support planning (PCSP) is a 'meeting of experts' between those with lived experience and those with other expertise; it identifies the issues and develops solutions and actions, keeping the person at the centre and in the driving seat of decision making. There are some deep roots and some fantastic examples of this working well in health and social care, where it is now set out in statute. Yet it is rarely done holistically, to cover all health and social care needs and it remains far from common practice in mainstream NHS services. The ambition should be a single, whole life plan and a different conversation with the people and professionals someone needs around them to live a good life.

The tool is intended to stimulate and inform service design and highlight some common principles that should underpin any local approach. Many of the workforce and organisational implications are also featured in the tool, which is launched as a BETA version to allow for a thorough consultation period which will close on the 30th October. The final version will be published with an updated resource section in the new year following a series of webinars to showcase the tool. The first of these webinars will take place later this month -21st Oct 4-5pm

Dr Sam Bennett, Programme Director of Think Local Act Personal, said: "There has never been a time of such profound and transformational change, progressing at such pace and scale across the health and social care system. If we are to get one thing right amidst this maelstrom of transformation it should be to ensure that with changes to structures and services we also succeed in changing the conversation between people, clinicians and professionals so that the many challenges ahead are faced as a partnership of equals. This new resource can make a major contribution to supporting those implementing change locally to make this shift."

Isaac Samuels, TLAP Programme Board member and National Co-production Advisory, said: "As a person with experience of mental health challenges, I am familiar with the frustrations that result from recounting my story to different professionals. For some people it can be upsetting - traumatising even, as disturbing memories are recounted again and again.

Precious time is also spent needing to build up trust with a new set of professionals. I hope that this tool will stimulate positive steps for a more person-centred way of working that helps to join up the dots across health and social care, and for those of us with personal budgets will serve to enhance our experience further".

Martin Routledge, Director of Coalition for Collaborative Care, said: "The future of health and social care is in integration - but integration without personalisation will not deliver what people need from public services. Person centred care itself, developed in true partnership between people and professionals, is easy to talk about but much harder to make real. That is why great materials like these are essential.

The Coalition for Collaborative Care is delighted to support TLAP in their development and their dissemination".