New Public Management and Public Services for People With an Intellectual Disability: A Review of the Implementation of Valuing People in England

Abstract

Abstract Public policy for people with an intellectual disability has been shaped since 1945 by universalistic ideas of human rights and social inclusion. These universalistic ideas are increasingly under challenge from consumerist ideas, which is reflected in public policy in the New Public Management (NPM). NPM involves a critique of poor coordination and quality in public services, and proposes the enhancement of consumer choice through a greater diversity of providers and market mechanisms to allow consumers to select between them, partnership arrangements to improve coordination, and target‐setting and monitoring by governments. NPM has been widely applied internationally in the reform of public services, and has been implemented for services for people with an intellectual disability in England, following the white paper Valuing People in 2002. There is limited research data on the outcome of this policy, but it indicates that: (1) enhanced choice to be achieved by person‐centered planning has probably affected only a minority of those eligible and has not changed access to public services; and (2) partnership boards have primarily existed to convey and manufacture consent for centrally determined policies. These problems match those identified in surveys of NPM in other sectors, but there is an additional concern that the consumerist ideas incorporated in Valuing People may be used by governments to replace, rather than supplement, policies to directly enhance access to public services through such measures as antidiscrimination laws. The review indicates a need to assess policies for people with an intellectual disability, in a wider social context and through international comparative research.