Housing LIN NW, 5 October 2011 Merron Simpson and Kate McAllister Housing Support and Personalisation practical advice for the current moment Housing LIN NW, 5 October 2011 Merron Simpson and Kate McAllister

Outline of session Is the personalisation agenda still relevant in an era of budget cuts? Key messages ‘Stop Start Continue’ – change management for providers and commissioners Personalisation as a way of life A transformation programme

Is the personalisation agenda still relevant in an era of budget cuts? Against Money should go to people most in need ... Personalising services costs money ... Block contracts are more efficient/cheaper For Coalition priority Public services (inc health) are being personalised Direct payments – ASC Bigger role for communities Money is not being spent in the best way Customer-facing services can generate revenue With the scale of the reforms affecting housing, health, care and support, the personalisation of housing support has, understandably, taken a back seat over the last year or so. While a few organisations have started to make quite radical changes, many others have put it either in the ‘too difficult’ box or ‘on ice’, until more urgent matters have been dealt with. This is the first question to answer because: not much progress has been made on personalising services, despite the Putting People First agenda being pushed quite hard when money is short, paralysis can set in and there’s a temptation for professionals to fall back on a strictly needs-based allocation system it can stop innovation at just the time that innovation is needed Personalisation is not going to go away. It is a key priority for the Coalition Government and underpins reforms taking place more generally across all public services.

Key messages Personalisation is a way of doing things, not a programme is not just about personal budgets is not going to go away

Stop, start, continue – change management What are we doing that is not working? (Something we should STOP) START What should we put in place to improve our performance? (Something we should START) CONTINUE What is working well and should be continued? (Something we should CONTINUE) But the status quo is not sustainable. The coalition government is determined to put more purchasing power in people’s hands, to involve them in a bigger way, and to make social businesses wash their face – not only in the care sector, but across public services. The market for care and support is changing. Those organisations that embrace the changes and that start to transform their approach sooner stand a greater chance of long-term success. Intended to be PURPOSEFUL, not DIRECTIVE You may disagree with our list You could develop your own list of Stop Start Continue that suits your organisation better But use it to bring clarity and to gain momentum

In groups: providers + commissioners To support a shift within the whole sector to a person-centred approach to care and support, what could your providers / commissioners STOP doing START doing CONTINUE doing

Our SSC – providers Stop offering the same sort of housing support service that you always have Start thinking and acting radically and holistically taking steps, experimenting, rethinking risk involving communities in delivering services Continue being optimistic and proactive evidencing added-value and measuring cost-effectiveness of your services Stop Thinking that that personalisation is just about personal budgets. Offering the same sort of housing support service that you always have Reacting in the short-term Sticking your head in the sand! Start Reviewing, at the top level, your organisation’s raison d’être Setting your organisation on a new course / new direction – even if it takes time Looking more closely at the competition Doing pilots Rethinking your approach to risk Continue to be proactive in your relationships with customers and commissioners to be optimistic about the difference that putting people at the centre of service delivery makes – both to customers and to your own staff developing your staff and giving them room to be creative, so that they develop the skills and confidence to deliver personalised services to stay true to your business ethos – work out how to best serve YOUR customers, not adopt another organisation’s model

Our SSC – commissioners Stop imagining the current market will stay the same Start understanding, supporting, coordinating providers building relationships with public health Continue developing the evidence-based in the JSNA throwing out the rule-book, being flexible selling the preventative aspect of personalisation Commissioning for personalisation is the key to the whole programme – it’s not just for providers to become more person-centred, but for commissioners to create the conditions that compel them to become person-centred. Commissioners have (some of) the money, and therefore (some of) the power and responsibility too. Stop Start Continue

Personalisation as a way of life Keep listening, learning, adapting, being creative Develop and shape systems that can respond more readily to individual customers Reap the financial rewards of delivering services that are attractive to payers Build your customer information into your strategic plans, especially the JSNA Remember it’s not a programme

A transformation programme: for housing providers and commissioners Kate McAllister and Merron Simpson Bespoke, flexible Three elements: Diagnostic – your overall approach Development – community-based Change management – your workforce Kate McAllister and Merron Simpson have joined forces and designed a programme for both providers and commissioners as they explore and implement ways of transforming their approach. Our programme is informed by a range of relevant national and local work we have been involved in Personalisation

For more information please contact: Merron Simpson merron@newrealities.co.uk , 07973 498603 Kate McAllister kate@katemcallister.co.uk , 07766 527434