Introduction

This publication is a self-assessment tool for managers to use with their staff to check how they are doing in delivering personalised support for people living at home. ‘Personalised support’ is a key aim of national policy and means tailoring support to the individual, and enabling them to have as much choice and control over their service and life as possible, rather than supporting everyone in the same way. This means learning what matters to the person and ensuring that any support wanted and needed is shaped by this. Using person-centred thinking tools and approaches helps staff to provide the best support that they can in ways that reflect what is important to the person. Working in this way is not about doing more, but about doing things differently.

Progress for Providers: Checking your progress for people living at home (Homecare managers) reflects the Department of Health’s; Guidance Personalisation Through Person-centred Planning (2010) and contributes to achieving the Making it Real Markers of Progress developed by the national Think Local Act Personal Partnership.

It is primarily for managers of domiciliary homecare services that support people in their own homes. It may also interest families who are looking for a homecare provider or who want to know how person-centred a service is. We know that to achieve 4s and 5s in the workbook requires significant partnership working between commissioners and providers of homecare, however, we believe that innovative providers can still make significant strides in this direction.

Many people are using either their personal budgets or their own money (self funding) to purchase homecare. This is sometimes this is called an individual service fund. In the back of the workbook you will find the key features of best practice in relation to individual service funds and how these are addressed throughout the Progress for Providers’ headings.

The tool was developed by providers and commissioners who have experience in homecare and representatives of Wirral’s Older People’s Parliament.
The group consulted widely with providers, commissioners, practitioners and families during the drafting process.