REPORT OF THE

Cabinet / Leader

PART II

HAMPSHIRE COMMISSION ON SOCIAL CARE FOR ADULTS - MOVING TO PERSONALISED SERVICES

On 21 January 2008, the Cabinet approved proposals to set up a Hampshire Commission of Inquiry on Adult Social Care to explore how to move towards a more personalised service for people in need of support and care. The Commission will be called "Putting People First - Shaping your future, choosing your care" and dedicated web pages on the County Council's website can be viewed at: http://www3.hants.gov.uk/adult-services/commission-personalisation.html

The personalisation agenda, also known as `Putting People First - Individualisation, Self Directed Care, Total Transformation' signals a fundamental change in the way social services for adults are delivered. Traditionally, services have been developed to meet the needs of groups of people which has resulted in less than optimum outcomes for individuals and their families. Personalisation means moving away from traditional services and involves considering a person as an individual with aspirations, as well as needs and family, friends and other resources and support mechanisms around them. It gives people access to a budget for their care and introduces the requirement for greater personal responsibility and for individuals to use their own resources, as well as statutory and other services in order to meet their needs in the best possible way. It is expected to bring about significantly improved outcomes for service users and their carers and will ensure them choice, dignity and control of the way they lead their lives.

Adult Services in Hampshire have already been undergoing an extensive modernisation process and the personalisation agenda is at the heart of it. As well as giving service users more choice and control, personalisation will also meet the new Outcomes Framework that the County Council's performance will be measured against. Furthermore, the County Council is one of the authorities that has been invited to influence the thinking behind the Government's new Comprehensive Area Assessment (replaces the Comprehensive Performance Assessment) as well as the Government's proposed Green Paper on the future funding of Adult Social Care (due to be launched in the spring/early summer). Both invitations present an excellent opportunity for Hampshire to be at the forefront of modernising adult services for the future to improve outcomes for vulnerable people.

To date the following Commissioners have been confirmed:

· Councillor Ken Thornber, CBE - Leader of Hampshire County Council and Chairman of the Commission

· Councillor Felicity Hindson, MBE - Executive Member for Adult Social Care and Vice-Chairman of the Commission

· Councillor Patricia Banks - Executive Member for Children and Families

· Councillor Margaret Snaith - Executive Member for Recreation and Heritage

· Councillor Jo Kelly - Leader of the Labour Group, Hampshire County Council

· Councillor Alan Dowden - Liberal Democrat Group, Hampshire County Council

· Professor Peter Beresford - Director, Centre for Citizen Participation at Brunel University, West London

· David Brindle - Public Services Editor of the Guardian

· Stephen Burke - Chief Executive for Counsel and Care

· John Dixon - President Elect for the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services

· Professor Debra Humphris - Professor of Health Care Development at the University of Southampton

· Andrew Lloyd - Chief Executive Officer, Rushmoor Borough Council

· Professor Jonathan Montgomery - Chairman of Hampshire Primary Care Trust

· Peter White - Disability Affairs Correspondent for the BBC

· Rt. Hon. Sir George Young - Member of Parliament for North West Hampshire

Details of additional Commissioners will be announced on the website.

The purpose of the Commission is to:

· help shape future services for people in need of support and care

· develop a sustainable model for the future, based on the concept of personalisation, which can be adopted by Hampshire and is transferable to other authorities

· understand the implications of changing to a new way of working

· inform the Government's Green Paper on the future funding of Adult Social Care

Since the Cabinet took their decision in January, four themed hearings have been convened to receive and discuss evidence from experts (by invitation in advance) to be held between April and September as follows:

1. People and Carers - 28 April 2008

2. Partners and Funding - 12 June 2008

3. The Care Market - 18 July 2008

4. The Local Authority - 19 September 2008

The hearings have been timed to inform the Hampshire response to the Green Paper on the future funding of Adult Social Care and Session 2 will particularly focus on this topic.

The hearings will take place from 10.00am to 1.00pm and will be held in the Discovery Centre at Winchester. In the afternoon there will be round table discussions for Commissioners and invited guests to explore key questions in more detail. Details of how to submit information to the Commission and how to apply for tickets for the morning sessions are available on the website. A summary session to review the findings of the Commission is planned for October culminating in a final report to the Cabinet in December 2008.

The personalisation agenda is an exciting one and will bring with it great change. A move towards more personalised services must take into account the growing pressures in adult social care, including demographic changes, changes in health care and changes in user expectations. Therefore, the Commission will aim to make sure all the issues and challenges have been fully explored and that they can be effectively managed in order to bring about this important step change.