CSCI: Personalisation not a reality for many with complex needs

Personalisation of services is still “patchy”, particularly for people with multiple and complex needs, the Commission for Social Care Inspection said today in its final state of social care report.

CSCI concluded that services for those with complex needs were being impeded by poor strategic commissioning, lack of person-centred care and “marginalisation” of human rights. Some service users had “little if any” choice about their services and councils relied on “inappropriate” out-of-area residential care.

“There’s a real danger that social work becomes the lost profession” – see CSCI chief executive Paul Snell interviewed below

Care Quality Commission to take over role

The findings came in CSCI’s last comprehensive analysis of adult social care in England before it is absorbed into the new Care Quality Commission in April.

The study reported that the number of new entrants to adult social care with profound, multiple learning disabilities was likely to be between 559 and 763 a year over the next 20 years.

The inspectorate’s analysis of progress over the past six years found it was “not yet clear” how councils would go about delivering the Putting People First personalisation programme, which runs from 2008 to 2011.

Variable commitment to personalisation

It found understanding of and commitment to the agenda differed between councils and cited difficulties in extending pilot schemes. CSCI also raised concerns about people who were “lost to the system” because they were ineligible for publicly funded support.

Progress in safeguarding adults from abuse was also “uneven”. Forty-six councils were assessed as adequate in promoting personal dignity and respect in 2008 compared with 35 in 2007. Two councils were rated as poor last year.

There were also considerable variations in the quality of services purchased by councils, evidence collected by CSCI for the first time showed. In the six months to September 2007, 22% of older people were moved permanently into care homes rated as poor or adequate.

Platt: Long way to go

CSCI chair Denise Platt said there was a “long way to go” to turn policy into practice in transforming social care. She added: “If CSCI were continuing our work, we would be watching to see whether the personalisation agenda really does make a difference. I hope that our successor will maintain this focus.”

More information

Community Care conference: Progress on Personalisation – Putting People First One Year On

Commission for Social Care Inspection

Related articles

Social workers harbour doubts on personalisation

Personalisation: Threat or opportunity?

Research realities: Local provision for complex needs

Rough Guide to Personalisation from the Social Care Institute for Excellence

Expert Guide to Personalisation

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Peter Beresford’s latest blog: “This year’s report may be seen by some as the last hurrah for Dame Denise. The truth is it may be the last hurrah for social care itself”