1. 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

3. 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

4. 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.

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

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

13. For more information please contact: Merron Simpson , Kate McAllister ,