A person-centred approach
Personalised care represents a new relationship between people, professionals and the system. It happens when we make the most of the expertise, capacity and potential of people, families and communities
Taking a person centred approach provides a shift in the relationship between health and care professionals and people from ‘what’s the matter with you?’ - to ‘what matters to you?’
Personalised care is about taking an individualised approach to health and wellbeing. This includes a coaching-style approach to support shared decision making and supported self-management; social prescribing (connecting with my community), choice and control (through personal health budgets) are all key factors that are contributing to this change in approach about how care is planned and delivered.
In South Yorkshire, we are proudly considered an exemplar site and one of a number ICSs that have committed to fully implement personalised care across our system by 2024.
Working across the whole system – health and social care, voluntary and community groups, people with lived experience (knowledge gained through direct first-hand involvement) and carers - NHS England and NHS Improvements (NHS E/I) 'Universal Model of Personalised Care' (UMoPC) will help us to establish a whole-population approach (population health management) to make our communities healthier.
Supporting people of all ages (which includes their carers) to manage their physical and mental health and wellbeing will have a knock-on positive effect of building community resilience. It will also enable individuals to make informed decisions and choices when their health conditions/circumstances change.
Primary Care Networks (PCNs) have a crucial role to play in developing person-centred approaches, which are closely connected to the creation of new health and care roles; the introduction and expansion of Social Prescribing Link Workers, Health and Wellbeing Coaches and Care Coordinators are supporting people with complex health conditions (often linked to the wider determinants of health) to manage their day-to-day lives more independently.