Putting People First
Putting People First is all about transforming the way people access our social care services.
A national agreement published by in 2007 highlighted the need for agencies to work together to transform the way in which services are delivered.
It called for adult social care to be transformed over the next 10 years with an increasing focus on personalised care services. These will include more preventative services, increased re-enablement and early intervention, all of which will promote continued independence and care closer to people's home.
Choice and control for our customers
A more customer-focused approach - known as personalisation - will be spearheaded by Putting People First.
It will make sure that citizens have choice and control over their package of social care support and that everyone who is eligible for publicly-funded adult social care support will have access to a personal budget with which they can buy the services they both need and want.
In short, customers will get the cash equivalent to their assessed services and be permitted to choose what type of care and support they will have and who will provide it.
Customers will also get more choice and control over the support and help they require by being given the opportunity for self assessment and a wider choice of service provision.
To find out how you can get involved in the development of the Putting People First programme and help shape the personalisation of services, visit our Involving You section.
Direct Payments
One form of personal budget is already in operation here in Wolverhampton. We operate a scheme called Direct Payments which gives people who receive Adult Social Care services more choice and control over their lives by allowing them to make decisions about how their care is delivered. For more information, and details about how to apply, visit our Direct Payments pages.
Putting People First in Wolverhampton
We and our partners in health have already started the journey of transforming health and social care services through the Social Care Programme and LIFT/PFI (Local Improvement Finance Trust/Private Finance Initiative) schemes.
The Social Care Programme has helped make it easier for people to access Adult Social Care services thanks to the introduction of a new computer system and one central number for people to contact adult social care services - 01902 551199 - while LIFT/PFI will see the construction of six purpose-built health and social care centres across the city over the next few years.
Now we are continuing this transformation of services by setting up our own programme to personalise care services by Putting People First.
Here in Wolverhampton, we have already begun to change the way we assess people’s care needs, and the way we calculate the cost of that care and purchase care services.
We have also started to look at ways of making our assessments more accessible and easier to use so that people can complete the form themselves, possibly via a website.
And we are also working toward setting up a fair system of calculating people’s care costs based on their assessed needs so that people know immediately how much money they will be allocated to pay toward care costs.
We have started to look in detail at how we change the services we currently purchase so that they are more flexible and better meet the needs of individual people in Wolverhampton. This will involve commissioning new services as well as helping older and disabled people to buy their own care.
If you would like to get involved in the development of the Putting People First programme and help shape the personalisation of services, visit our Involving You section.
Contact us
To find out more about Adult Social Care services, you can contact us by either using our online form or by:
e-mail: socialservices@wolverhampton.gov.uk
Phone: 01902 551199
Minicom: 01902 555554
Fax: 01902 551195