Personalisation strategy has a slow start

A recent survey has hit the news this week after finding that 4 in 10 Councils have missed the Personalisation targets set at the start of the programme. By April of this year, all Councils should have created a strategy for delivering information and advice about social care and support choices. However, by June, only 60% of Council’s had actually achieved this and only 1 in 6 Councils were even at the planning stage.

The article, which was published on Communitycare.co.uk on Thursday 5^th August said:

“The Department of Health has set a number of milestones to chart councils’ progress against the Personalisation agenda.

As part of developing an information strategy Councils should have analysed the need, identified funding, engaged key partners and agreed a delivery model for the information service.

Local authority middle managers, who responded to the survey, blamed a lack of resources for the delays in implementation, with 40% citing this as the biggest barrier to implementation. More than 60% called for better practical guidance on implementing an information and advice strategy.”

So why is it that so many Councils haven’t made the targets? Stephen Burke, chief executive of charity and care advice provider Counsel and Care, said there was no excuse for the delays two-and-a-half years into the three-year social care transformation programme. “A lot of local authorities seem to be getting deflected by the need to make cuts and a lot of the building blocks to save money, through Personalisation, having not been put in place,” he said.

Or is it that the targets were just not realistic in the first place? Let us know what you think by commenting below, or email enquiries@you2choose.com