Personalisation is at the top of the agenda for everyone involved in care and support services. The concept that everyone who receives support, whether provided by statutory services or funded by themselves, will have choice and control over the shape of the support they receive is fast becoming a reality. And it is bringing huge transformation to the industry.

What has changed?

The emphasis has shifted from a professional assessment and allocation model of services to one where the individual is at the centre. Where local authorities/Supporting People would offer bulk contracts, individuals will now understand upfront the resources available to them and play a leading role in deciding how their care and support needs can best be met.

What are the implications for commissioners and service providers?

For local authorities and commissioners the recent Department of Health milestones have set ambitious targets. During 2010 all new eligible service users and carers and existing service users who are due to be reviewed should be offered a personal budget. By 2011 the target is for 30 per cent of all service users and carers to be receiving a personal budget. Alongside this local authorities will be expected to demonstrate a shift towards preventative commissioning and the efficiencies this has delivered.

Local authorities are in the process of completing their commissioning strategies which set out their direction of travel. Inevitably service providers will be asked to work outside of existing funding arrangements, personalise existing services and develop the range of services they provide.

What does Metropolitan Support Trust (MST) think?

As an experienced provider of care and support services, we welcome the transformation agenda and personalisation of services and feel we are well placed to help local authorities meet their targets.

The preventative and individual focus of our support work is an ideal platform to deliver personalised services. Our support staff work with our service users using person-centred support planning to identify outcomes and the support needed to achieve them. We already have performance systems in place that measure how successful we are at meeting outcomes, and they have been adapted in preparation for personalisation.

What are the challenges for MST and other care and support providers?

Our challenge is to work with our existing customers, commissioners and the community to refine and develop services. We are already working with partners on a number of personalisation pilots and looking at our business processes and existing services to personalise them further. We need to work closely with our existing and potential new customers to understand what is missing from the services we currently provide. In parallel to this we need to develop people’s understanding of these services, and give them the tools they need to be able to act as informed customers.

Personalisation does bring risk and uncertainty for providers, with the need to adapt to less secure ways of funding and increased customer choice. At MST we aim to provide people with high quality services that represent value for money. Building trust with our service users is part of our core culture. We do this by working with people in an honest and transparent way. Our experience and the value we place on providing services that are person-centred, tailored to individual outcomes and focus on independence and prevention, gives us confidence in approaching personalisation.

To find out more about the agenda of personalised care and support services – and to find out how we can work with you, please contact me on 020 7501 2217.

Amanda Campbell-McGlennon, Head of Quality and Improvement, Metropolitan Support Trust