Scope

  • Policy Statement

  • Care Act 2014

  • The Policy

  • As an Organisation, We Promote Person Centred Values

  • Assessment of Need

  • Planning of Care or Support

  • Risk Assessments

  • Challenging and Complaining

  • Challenging Decisions

  • Related Policies

  • Related Guidance
  • Training Statement

Policy Statement

Person-centred planning is the cornerstone of the government drive to ensure that people keep as much control as possible over their lives. This includes when they need care and support.
Care Act 2014
The emphasis on wellbeing, self-care and needs and preferences are core within the Act. The full involvement of the person in all discussions decisions and how services should be delivered must fully reflect their needs and preferred way of meeting those needs.

The Policy

As an Organisation, We Promote Person-Centred Values

  • Seeing people as individuals.

  • Supporting people to have their care and support needs met.

  • Supporting people to access and implement their rights and understand any responsibilities

  • Supporting people to maintain as much independence as possible and where possible improve their degree of independence.

  • Treating people with dignity and respect and ensuring that they have their choices and preference listened to.

  • Working in partnership with the individual so that they can maintain control of their lives.

  • This enables the person-centred plan to be:

  • Directed by the person it is about.

  • Written in a language everyone can understand.

  • Focused on a person’s strength.

  • Meeting their care and support needs.

Assessment of Need

  • Discuss who the person would like to be involved in the process. Allow them the opportunity to consider family and or friends and give consent for those people they want involving in the decision making.

  • Frequently check that the individual understands what is happening and they feel their preference is being incorporated into the assessment plan. Consider other methods of communication and whether the person needs further support from interpreters, translator or signers to enable their views to be put across

  • Capacity must be assessed using the organisation Mental Capacity Act Assessment Form and consider things that may need putting in place to support the individual to make the decision.

  • To build up a complete picture, it is often necessary to use information from other professionals who have worked with the person. This needs to be arranged beforehand so that the person is aware and can give consent as necessary.

  • We ensure that we are aware of the range of options available for the person. They may have a preconceived idea of what is available and they must understand the flexibility of services that can be delivered in the community and the opportunities available.

  • It is important that the individual’s family and friends not only feel free to contribute to the assessment but also to give feedback on the whole process, both positive and negative. We support them in this so that they can present their views to the appropriate people.

  • When working with an advocate who is acting on behalf of the individual or if we need to engage an independent advocate so that the individual’s wishes can be given and understood at the meeting, we ensure that we have consent in place before we share information.

  • We ensure that the person carrying out the assessment is trained in and has a good understanding of the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

  • If the assessment of need is not carried out in the service user’s own home, we aim to make the environment as comfortable and friendly as possible.

However good the assessment process is, we recognise that it is still possible to miss what is important to the individual. This may be because people sometimes say what they think you want them to say or they do not like to presume or do not realise the opportunities available. To help overcome this we ask the individual, family or advocate to write a profile, e.g. This is me:

  • What I like to be called.

  • What is important to me.

  • What I like to do.

  • What particular skills I have.

  • What I do not like.

  • What I need.

Whenever possible we have this self-assessment completed before the assessment of need is completed however if assistance is needed this will be completed at the initial assessment of care needs.

Planning of Care or Support

  • Person-centred planning is the information from the assessment of need and the self-assessment that forms the basis for a care and support plan that meets their needs.

  • A sense of hope.

  • Confidence.

  • Self-esteem.

  • Ability to communicate needs and wishes.

  • Ability to make contact with other people.

  • Ability to show and receive warmth and affection.

  • Experience of and sharing of pleasure or enjoyment.

  • Person-centred planning is based on the outcomes that the individual wants to achieve.

  • Person-centred planning builds on what someone can do. It is about identifying the individual’s strengths and abilities and building on them and filling any gaps.

Sometimes people will want to write down or tell others their wishes and preferences for future treatment and care or explain their feelings or values that govern how they make decisions. Statements of wishes and preferences or documented conversations the person has had with their family or other carers may be recorded in the person’s notes. A statement of wishes and preferences can be of various types, for example:

Risk Assessments

Risk assessments are an important part of person-centred planning. It is acknowledged that everyone is entitled to take risks and we continually assess and plan to ensure that concerns about risks are not getting in the way of people living their lives how they want to. However, we continually review risk assessments, talk to our service user and seek advice from other professionals to keep the service user safe, and free from harm.

Challenging and Complaining

We see that an important part of exercising rights is being able to challenge or complain. If the service user sees the service provided as inadequate, we have a clear complaints procedure that supports the service user to verbalised or write down their complaint. Complaints are monitored and an important part of the organisation’s quality assurance process. Staff are encouraged to respond positively and quickly to any grumble or complaint.

Challenging Decisions

Service users are encouraged to challenge decisions that have been made by others if they do not agree. It could be decisions on personal care, medication, changes in service provision, accommodation, assessment, or any part of the service provided.

Related Policies

Assessment of Need and Eligibility
Adult Safeguarding
Care and Support Planning
Consent
Complaints
Equality and Diversity
Meeting Needs
Mental Capacity Act 2005
Record Keeping

Related Guidance

The Care Act 2014 Statutory Guidance:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/care-act-statutory-guidance/care-and-support-statutory-guidance
Health Innovation Network:
https://healthinnovationnetwork.com/system/ckeditor_assets/attachments/41/what_is_person-centred_care_and_why_is_it_important.pdf
RCNi: What Person-Centred Care Means:
https://rcni.com/hosted-content/rcn/first-steps/what-person-centred-care-means
Skills for Care Person-Centred Care and Support Planning:
https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/

Training Statement

All staff, during induction, are made aware of the organisation’s policies and procedures, all of which are used for training updates. All policies and procedures are reviewed and amended where necessary, and staff are made aware of any changes. Observations are undertaken to check skills and competencies. Various methods of training are used, including one to one, online, workbook, group meetings, and individual supervisions. External courses are sourced as required.

Date Reviewed: May 2021
Person responsible for updating this policy: Carly Fortune
Next Review Date: May 2022