Describe the impact that personalisation has on the commissioning, funding and delivery of services

For this assessment criterion, you will be required to describe the impact that personalisation has on the commissioning, funding and delivery of services.

Commissioning is the process of planning, purchasing and monitoring health and care services and funding refers to how these services are paid for.

As we have discussed, the historical model of health and social care relied on professionals assessing an individual’s needs and then commissioning organisations or agencies to provide the care package. This led to individuals being pigeonholed into a ‘one size fits all’ care service which was very often not appropriate for their needs.

The personalisation agenda has reformed this process to empower individuals to have more choice and control in the care and support services that they receive. Individuals are now able to commission their own services to meet their unique needs, wishes and preferences.

The local authority will assess an individual’s needs and allocate a personal budget – this is the amount of money that they will allocate for the individual’s care and support requirements. This can be paid to the individual as a direct payment and the individual can use this money to commission their own care and support services. This is in contrast to the previous way of working in which the local authority was responsible for the commissioning of services. However, it is important to note that local authorities will still commission services for individuals that cannot or do not wish to manage their care or themselves.

The delivery of care services is also impacted by the personalisation agenda because services must be tailored to the individual’s unique needs, wishes and preferences and a person-centred approach must be used.