What good looks like – fresh perspectives on personalised care and support

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Caroline Dinenage

Think Local Act Personal, the leadership organisation for personalisation, has published a new framework on what good care and support looks like across social care, health and housing. Making it Real – how to do personalised care and support sets this out from the dual perspective of people accessing care and health services, and organisations working within the system. Its focus is on how to support people to live well – to have a life not a service, with co-production at its heart. 

The refreshed Making it Real has been led by people with care and support needs to reflect the reality of how they wish to live their lives as citizens in the community, and not as ‘service users’ or patients. It has been produced in partnership with the Coalition for Collaborative Care and with members of the National Co-production Advisory Group, made up of people with lived experience & carers. The approach has been widely endorsed by national stakeholder bodies representing the health, care and housing sectors.

Making it Real supports delivery of Quality Matters, a shared commitment to improve the quality of care experienced by people accessing services and is relevant to NHS England’s Vision document for personalisation and the forthcoming Green paper for adult social care.

Making it Real encourages a shift in power so that people with care and support needs and carers can live their lives as citizens with choice, control and independence - principles which unite the sector.

In her address to delegates at the 11th October launch, Caroline Dinenage, Minister for Care, (pictured above) said:

“When it comes to wellbeing, it’s vital that our services look at people’s needs as a whole, from social care to health and housing. That’s why we want to put power back into the hands of people accessing services, their carers and families - by personalising care and focussing it around individual needs – so we can help people to live happier and more independent lives.

“Think Local Act Personal’s new Making it Real guide is an important and practical resource to help make personalised care a reality.”

There were other endorsements from sector leads: 

Andrea Sutcliffe CBE, Chief Inspector of Adult Social Care, Care Quality Commission, says:

“The development of Quality Matters, the sector-wide commitment to quality in adult social care, was founded on the principle that the voice of people using services, their carers and families should be heard and inform everyone’s understanding of what good quality care and support looks like. The new version of Making it Real gives clarity and power to that voice and will really help to make a difference.”

James Sanderson, Director of Personalised Care, NHS England, says:

“The NHS is on a journey to make personalised care business as usual across the health and care system. This will require a different relationship between people and professionals, with a shift in power and decision-making that enables people to have a voice and be connected to each other and their communities. Making it Real exemplifies this vision and is a practical tool that will help achieve it.” 

Glen Garrod, President of the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS), says:

“Our world is increasingly one in which complexity is the norm and where people’s needs are complex. Only when we provide care and support in combination with our colleagues in health and housing, that sees people in the round, can we better reflect this and ensure that personalisation becomes everyone’s experience. Making it Real is an indispensable resource that can help achieve this and shows us what good looks like.”
Sharon Allen, Chief Executive Officer, Skills for Care, says:

“Skills for Care welcomes the publication of this easy to use Making it Real guide that will help services incorporate the principles of personalisation, and support a well-led, skilled and valued workforce so our fellow citizens have a life not just a service.”

Clenton Farquharson MBE, Chair of Think Local Act Personal Programme Board says:

“As a disabled person I want to lead an ordinary life and do not want to be defined or limited by my care and health needs. Making it Real does what is says on the tin and describes what good personalised care and support looks like. It should be taken up widely.”

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Notes for Editors

Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) is a partnership committed to personalisation and community based approaches across social care, health and housing. TLAP brings together central and local government, people with lived experience, commissioners, providers and social enterprises to promote innovation and shared learning through networks, events and resources.
www.thinklocalactpersonal.org.uk @tlap1

The Coalition for Collaborative Care (C4CC) is a partnership of 54 national health and care organisations, made up of health charities, medical royal colleges and community sector organisations.  Launched in 2014, the C4CC partnership works to champion personalisation in healthcare and ensure more coordinated care for people living with long-term health conditions. http://coalitionforcollaborativecare.org.uk/ @Co4CC

Contact

TLAP Media:

Sanchi Murison 07885 736 641 Sanchi.Murison@tlap.org.uk and
Sara Zmertych 07739 189 347 sara.zmertych@tlap.org.uk