Unifying and universalizing Personalised Care? An analysis of a national curriculum with implications for policy and education relating to person-centred care

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine the Curriculum of England’s Personalised Care Institute as a national initiative to promote person-centred practice. MethodAnalysis of Curriculum content and discourse ResultsThe Curriculum describes an educational framework which aspires to unify approaches and universalize provision of Personalised Care. It presents 8 “models and approaches” and 6 “components” within the “whole” of Personalised Care. It locates their unity in an underlying common core repertoire of professional capabilities and values and an anchoring belief in people’s strengths, resourcefulness and ability to develop their own solutions with appropriate support. The Curriculum indicates some complexity in the provision of Personalised Care but leaves unanswered questions about the theoretical coherence of the concept. It also neglects some important aspects of person-centredness (especially values beyond empowerment and choice); the implications of entrenched social inequalities and systemic prejudices; and other practical-ethical implementation challenges that can be difficult for health professionals. ConclusionThe Curriculum signals a national commitment to person-centred practice, but its practical potential is limited by its neglect of the value tensions and diverse situational challenges involved. Practice implicationsThe Curriculum and similar policy-education initiatives could be strengthened by more explicit attention to the normative complexities of person-centred practice.