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:
- Payment can be made
in person or over the phone
- No added costs
- Auditing much easier
– less paperwork
- 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.