Shaping the MarketProvider Engagement Events

June and July 2009

Summary

The Events:

3 Events were held jointly between Leicestershire County Council and Leicester City Council in June and July 2009

The events were designed to inform and engage service providers on the progress of the personalisation agenda for both Councils

108 Service Providers attended and reached a total of 203 people across all 3 events

Of the 108 providers that attended:

Residential  51 48%Supported Living  9 8.5%Dom Care  6 5.6%Day Services  8 7.5%Supported Services  28 26%Local Authority  4 3.7%Advocacy service 2 1.8%

The Events:

The Events:

A series of presentations, and question and answer sessions were delivered by representatives of each Council, and by Thera Trust who described how their experience in making personalisation happen.

A service user testimony illustrated how with Individualised Budgets, the quality of life had improved and outcomes achieved.

Opportunity to explore with providers how they are approaching the future challenges ahead to successfully implement personalisation.

The Events:

Testing the Water” and a range of interactive exercises and workshops were conducted to gauge the level of understanding amongst the providers about personalisation before and after

“Traffic Lights” was carried out where the providers were asked to write down what their organisation would need to stop doing, things that they would need to continue, and new things that they would need to start.

Workshops:

The workshops covered the following five topics

• Brokerage and Support Planning• Contracting with individuals• Safeguarding and Quality • Understanding service users' needs in

shaping the market • Workforce: Training support and development

Workshop 1 Brokerage and Support Planning

The aim was to inform providers of the approach to personal budgets, the development of support planning, the affect of personal budgets on their business and how personal budgets will be implemented in Leicester and Leicestershire.

Providers highlighted issues around: flexibility and contingency planning. safeguarding measures culture change

Workshop 2 Contracting with individuals

Providers were asked how contracted services were provided and the level of service user involvement, what changes needed to be made and how the Local Authorities could encourage providers to supply it.

Providers highlighted challenges & issues: The levels of Resource Allocation System Market sustainability in terms of viability and affordability Recognised the move away from block contracts and security Creating better partnerships between customers and providers

The aim of this workshop was to engage providers to think about what makes a quality service and its value to service users, risks and processes that can be put in place to manage safeguarding.

Provider highlighted challenges to take forward: Quality services with well-trained workforce Culture change towards person centred planning Supporting individual outcomes

Workshop 3 Safeguarding and Quality

Workshop 4Understanding Service User needs

in shaping the market

The focus of this workshop was encourage providers to think through how service user needs and wants will be central to shaping the market in the future and what they need to do to respond to this.

Providers highlighted challenges around: How to engage with service users and co-production Universal directory of services available for service users

and providers have access to. Understand service user need to shape the market A focus on ethnic minority groups

Workshop 5Workforce: Training Support and

Development

Providers were asked to consider the implications for their workforce, the training and development needs will arise from the introduction of personalisation and any new ways are already developed across the country.

Providers highlighted challenges around: How will people using services, will manage

recruitment Concerns about staff retention Training e.g. in moving and handling

Traffic Lights: Exercise

Providers were asked to write down what their organisation would need to stop doing, things that they would need to continue, and new things that they would need to start.

STOP

Large Block Contracts The barriers between health and social care

tasks Being risk averse The procurement process – framework

agreements and tenders

CONTINUE

To improve outcome based delivery of services

Working together to transform services and promote inter-agency working

Good person centred support planning Monitoring of established services by Local

Authorities to ensure standards are met

START

Engage in working groups, regular meetings and newsletters

Provide more training and support to providers on infrastructure change

Working in partnership & collaboration Being clear when and how personalisation

will happen

Overall, the events succeeded in increasing the knowledge and understanding of the personalisation

Although some uncertainty and scepticism exists within the provider workforce, a change to the current system of Adult Social Care was seen as positive

Communication with providers and stakeholders should be at the right time, not too soon, not too late, while remaining transparent and involving people using services

Conclusion

Next Steps:

Provider engagement events planned for January and February 2010

Focus on Provider development Collect market intelligence and develop the

market Develop Commissioning Framework Shaping market for personal budget holders Effective communication