Agenda item

PERSONALISATION - STAKEHOLDER PRESENTATION(Agenda Item 6)

The Commissioning Manager provided a presentation on personalisation.

The following points were noted:

• Personalisation was a period of considerable change and provided a number of opportunities and challenges.
• Developing the marketplace was essential to ensure services could be provided.

•        Personal budgets aimed to provide increased: control, flexibility and choice.

•        How do personal budgets work?

1.       An allocation of money is given so users can buy services to meet their need.

2.      Based on assessed need and in line with the eligibility criteria.

3.      Support plans are drawn up to agreed outcomes to meet eligible need.

4.      Personal; budgets can be spent on activities to meet agreed outcomes

·           Personal budgets are calculated by?

1.   An assessment is conducted to identify needs

2.   Money is then allocated based on a person’s assessed needs using an automated resource allocation system provided by FACE

3.   Financial allocation: the maximum money that will be allowed

·           Options arising form personalisation

1.   Direct Payment – money given to the resident on a pre-paid card – to be introduced early 2012

2.   The Council manages personal budget on the service user’s behalf

3.    A mixture of both approaches – part of Personal Budget given to the service user and part managed by the Council on their behalf

• Pre-paid Cards will enable services to be paid for by card rather than cheque or cash. This will have several advantages including:
  1. Payment can be made in person or over the phone
  2. No added costs
  3. Auditing much easier – less paperwork
  4. Improved cash flow as payment is immediate

·           The uses of personal budgets?

1.        Arts and crafts

2.        Cookery

3.        Health & Fitness

4.        Meeting friends, making friends

5.        Support to get to activities / support once there

·           What does personalisation mean to the voluntary/community sector?

1.        Opportunities - Developing new services

2.        New sources of funding

3.        New partnerships, new ways of working

·           Future challenges included:

1.        Charging for services

2.        Competition

3.        New Council priorities

4.        Uncertainties

During the course of the presentation a number of themes were raised and the following points were noted:

• Hillingdon would be introducing personalised budgets for people with learning disabilities, people with physical disabilities and older people from January 2012.
• Hillingdon was not as advanced in providing personalisation as some other London Boroughs but the Council would be providing a greater degree of choice and control.
• Officers described how a number of service departments such as Adult Education and Adult Learning had worked together to ensure a range of provision was available to service users.
• A significant advantage of personal budgets was the ability of several service users to pool their budgets and access a range of tailored solutions to meet their needs – for example booking facilities at a local community centre to pursue art activities.
• To develop the marketplace, the Committee heard that ongoing work included trialling a marketplace development initiative which would coordinate a pilot programme of activities across the Council delivered by the voluntary sector and the community. This pilot programme sought to establish;

1.      gaps in the marketplace;

2.      activities that deliver the right outcomes and are preferred by residents;

3.      areas where the voluntary and private sector excel;

4.      areas where the voluntary and private sector require further support and guidance

• Delivering personalisation was not about day centres or building these. Personalisation was about delivering the services users needed through a range of different types of options. Based on experiences elsewhere, many service users had started to move away from day centres and pursue other activities by using a direct payment. Other Local Authorities had chosen to close all day centres and Hillingdon would not be doing this.
• It was acknowledged that the Authority needed to be sensitive to a range of needs and the remaining day centres provided a range of support for service users and respite for carers
• Members highlighted that it was important there were facilities to assist people in crisis and to acknowledge that as service users became older their needs would change. Officers explained they were looking at the opportunities provided by community centres and ways to increase social contact for service users.
• Officers explained that they had been working on developing a Directory of Services so that services users, carers and their families were aware of the types of services which were available.
• Members enquired whether there had been an increase in the need for respite care, an increased number of hospital admissions or increased burden on carers since the introduction of personalisation. In response, officers explained that this had not been the case and if people were given control it was more likely there would be sustainable solutions and contingency planning was integral to user’s support plans. Officers agreed it was important to take carers needs and concerns on board however the detailed support planning meant that people would be less likely to fall through gaps (in service provision).

Resolved –

1.      That the information contained in the presentation be used to inform the review.