Changing Services, Changing
Support, Changing Lives
Sue Rickell
Allies in Change
Tuesday 28th September 2010
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Equality
Our Future - Our Right
“By 2025, disabled people in Britain should
have full opportunities and choices to improve
their quality of life, and will be respected and
included as equal members of society.”
Improving Life Chances of Disabled People,
Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, January 2005)
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What does Equality for Disabled
and Older People mean..
To you?
To your work place?
To Your Community?
To Disabled/Older People?
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If you are still providing services in
2025…
Who will be buying your services?
 What will they want and expect for their
money?
 Where will they receive their support?
 How will they assess Quality and value for
money?
 Why should they buy services from you?

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I would hope an altogether
different “class” of people!
Who know they are equal members of a
society where attitudes, the environment
and systems are the problem, not them!
 Have individual identity whilst working
together as a group
 Have opportunities and support to do
what’s right for them. (now, not for ever)
 Have ordinary experiences and take risks

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A different “class” of people
who …
Are equal members of the community and
are proud of who they are
 Have Choices and Rights and are involved
in the development and progression of an
Equal and Inclusive lifestyle
 Start and lead activity and actions which
promote status, money, contribution, a full
and Equal life.

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Staying in business - Providing
Personalised Support
What could/would prevent your organisation
“Putting Disabled/Older People First”?
People with Attitudes,
Environments / Places / Premises
The way things work (or don’t)
The way things are organised (or aren’t)
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The life Chances Report Defined
Disability as the …
“Disadvantage experienced by an individual
resulting from barriers to independent
living, educational, employment or other
opportunities that impact on people with
impairments and/or ill health.”
Improving Life Chances of Disabled People,
Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, January 2005
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The Life Chances Report
emphasised that:
“While disabled people may need support with
daily living, this does not mean they have to be
‘dependent’;
rather, “independence comes from having choice
and being empowered regarding the assistance
needed”.
and disabled people should take the lead in
identifying their own needs and how they should
be met
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Then the Government…
outlined a vision for a new system in which
“adults are able to take greater control of
their lives”,
and accepted that Individual Budgets should
be tried out a means of offering greater
choice, empowerment and freedom.
Independence, Well-being and Choice 2005
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In 2006 - “Our health, Our care, Our say”
said. . .
There needed to be high-quality support to
meet people’s aspirations for…
independence and greater control over
their lives,
and to shift services into a more
personalised way of doing things, to fit
around people’s needs.
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At last agreement with Disabled People that
‘barriers to dignity and quality of life’ are the
things which make it difficult to:
Exercise choice and control,
 Enjoy health and emotional wellbeing,
 Have personal dignity and respect,
 Have quality of life,
 Be free from discrimination,
 Make a positive contribution,
 Enjoy economic well-being.

Department of Health (2006) Our health,
care,UK
ourLtd.
say – a new direction for community
Allies inour
Change
services. London: Department of Health
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Change is on the way…
Transforming Adult Social Care
This means giving Social Services and
Healthcare a Make - Over
 It means that if we are going to have
Healthcare and Services which have a
personal or individual approach then
something has got to change
This is called ‘Putting People First’

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The vision – what the “Makeover” means….

Services tailored to the needs and preferences
of citizens… empowered to shape their own
lives and the services they receive”

People are able to live their own lives as they
wish, with high quality, safe services which
promote their own individual requirements for
independence, well-being and dignity.

The role of social workers will be focused on
advocacy and brokerage, rather than
assessment and gate keeping.
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What the “Make-over” means….





Individuals designing their support or care to suit
their specific needs.
Better use of Direct Payments.
Use of Individual Budgets giving people more
choice and control.
All individuals who are eligible for Adult Social
Care will have a personal budget
A clear, upfront allocation of funding to enable
individuals to make informed choices about how
best to meet their needs, including their broader
health and well-being.
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Making Personalisation a reality for the
21st century
It will take time..
 Service providers will need to work in
Partnership.
 All participants in Health and Social
Services will need to work together to
bring about change in Attitudes and the
Systems which are essential if they are to
Put People First

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What Difference Will it Make?
(Outcomes)

Better health and well-being for all

Better care for all

Better Value for all
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What should be the vision and purpose
of Health and Social Care services?

Improving people’s health and emotional
wellbeing whilst enabling them to live as
independently as suits them.

Individuals managing their own lives, confident
that they have access to the right information,
and someone to help at the right time, should
they need more support.

Focusing on prevention, support and
enablement, rather than crisis management
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Better care and support by way of:
 Enabling
people to make choices and be in
control of their care so that it makes a
difference first time.
 Shared decision making to encourage
ownership. (your choice, your life)
 Providing quality care that promotes dignity,
and is safe, effective and available when and
where people need it.
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This means that we ensure people, whatever
their health condition or impairment:
 Live independently
 Stay healthy and recover quickly from illness
 Have maximum control over their own life
and, where appropriate the lives of their family
members
 Support the whole family so that children do
not have to take on caring roles
 Participate as active and equal citizens, both
economically and socially
 Enjoy the best possible quality of life, and
maintain maximum dignity and respect.
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What might prevent you or your organisation
‘Putting People First’?
Doubt
 Fear
 Lack of experience
 Lack of expectation
 Love of power
 Commitment to the system
 Attitudes – “our people won’t manage”

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Barriers to Personalisation
The myth of “independence”
 Misunderstanding of Equality
 Contradictions – Residential Care,
Supported Living, Inclusion, Choice and
Control
 Living and working in the “safety” of the
past rather that the “opportunity” of the
future

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2010 – 2025 and all the years between!
15 years
25 year old will be 40
45 year old will be 60
65 year old will be 80
75 year old will be 90
How old will you be?
What do you expect you will have achieved?
What will YOU doing?
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