by Anna BirdThe take up of personalised services has been slow for mental health users to date. But there are signs this is set to improve
Personalisation has its roots in the disabled people's movement, and, for many people with physical disabilities, the personalisation agenda has allowed the balance of power to shift towards greater individual choice, control and empowerment. However, there are distinct barriers in moving towards greater personalisation in mental health. Most people with mental health problems still have little control over their care, and meaningful choice and independence are still a long way off.
In 2008 the government pledged that everyone who was eligible for adult social care support will receive this through a personal budget. However, uptake of personal budgets is low amongst mental health service users. Last year, fewer than 4,000 people received a direct payment despite evidence that suggests personalised approaches provide greater benefits for people with mental distress than any other disability group.
Organisational culture in mental health care is still a major barrier to personalisation. People with mental distress are often experts in their care, yet there is still an attitude of "doctor knows best", and nervousness about relinquishing control. For personalisation to become a reality, there needs to be a huge culture shift in how practitioners view mental health service users. Alongside this, professionals and users alike need education about how to make personalisation work in mental health.
Last September, Mind set up Putting us First, a project which aims to ensure that more people experiencing mental distress have choice and control over their care. Mental health teams face continuing challenges in implementing policy around personalisation, and Mind has launched a new set of resources to support care professionals in offering their clients personalised services. By the end of the project in 2010, we would like more people to receive personal budgets, and more practitioners to understand how to put them into practice.
At Mind's Putting us First conference last week, there was a noticeable change in mood around how personalisation is viewed. The tone has changed from dwelling on the obstacles, to sharing good practice and inspirational stories.
At the conference, minister for disabled people Jonathan Shaw made a clear commitment to making personalisation work in mental health - and Mark Harper, the shadow minister, pledged that under a Conservative government the pace of change would quicken. We now need to work together to make it a reality.
Anna Bird, policy and campaigns manager, Mind
Organisational culture in mental health care is still a major barrier to personalisation. People with mental distress are often experts in their care, yet there is still an attitude of "doctor knows best", and nervousness about relinquishing control. For personalisation to become a reality, there needs to be a huge culture shift in how practitioners view mental health service users. Alongside this, professionals and users alike need education about how to make personalisation work in mental health.
Last September, Mind set up Putting us First, a project which aims to ensure that more people experiencing mental distress have choice and control over their care. Mental health teams face continuing challenges in implementing policy around personalisation, and Mind has launched a new set of resources to support care professionals in offering their clients personalised services. By the end of the project in 2010, we would like more people to receive personal budgets, and more practitioners to understand how to put them into practice.
At Mind's Putting us First conference last week, there was a noticeable change in mood around how personalisation is viewed. The tone has changed from dwelling on the obstacles, to sharing good practice and inspirational stories.
At the conference, minister for disabled people Jonathan Shaw made a clear commitment to making personalisation work in mental health - and Mark Harper, the shadow minister, pledged that under a Conservative government the pace of change would quicken. We now need to work together to make it a reality.
Anna Bird, policy and campaigns manager, Mind
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