Perspectives: Is health and social care person centred? Hello, my name is not enough

Abstract

The World Health Organisation (www.who.int) confirms a growing global population that requires access to effective health care, yet the economic burden of delivery raises questions about whether individualised care is realistic or achievable. Person-centred care places people as equal partners in addressing their individual health care needs. Such a ‘personalised’ approach aims to ensure treatment options are the most appropriate for each person’s specific health requirements, thereby increasing the likelihood of a positive and satisfactory outcome. It involves putting patients and their families/carers at the heart of all decisions. In England, the White Paper ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ (2012) set out the Government’s vision to put patients and the public first; where ‘no decision about me, without me’ is the set standard for care commissioning and delivery. Whilst considered an ambition, the notion of person-centred care delivery is rarely contested, yet major reports into poor care (c.f. Francis, 2013; Kirkup, 2015) suggest that the policy directive has yet to be universally implemented in practice. Health and social care services across the globe are facing a huge rise in demand, as people live longer and as treatment options become more sophisticated. Take, for example, the experiences outlined in health and social care institutions such as Alder Hey Hospital, Mid Staffordshire Hospitals, Morecombe Bay Hospital and Winterbourne View care homes, to name but a few of the public inquiries into neglect that have revealed evidence of depravity and cruelty, which has led to widespread proportioning of blame on those who deliver care. Subsequent pressure on the Care Quality Commission (which monitors quality provision in England) is to publicly expose large National Health Service (NHS) organisations, such as those mentioned, but often these reports neglect to explain the broader context that organisations are battling against increased demand alongside fiscal austerity from a £2.4bn deficit in government