Craegmoor Chief Executive Calls on Government to Put the Individual at the Centre of All Care Policy

  • Ted Smith
 

In a speech to this year’s English Community Care Association (ECCA) conference – ‘Up Close & Personal’ – on Thursday 12th November, Ted Smith, the Chief Executive of Craegmoor, called on the Government to put the individual at the centre of all health and social care policy.

13th November 2009

Setting out the challenges that the personalisation agenda presents for providers, suppliers and other professionals in the sector, he described in detail the “Your Voice” initiative that Craegmoor – who support over 4,000 people with learning disabilities, complex needs and mental health illnesses, as well as older people, across the UK – has rolled out nationally so that it leads by example.

“Your Voice” promotes three key actions – Ask, Listen and Do – to ensure that each and every person using a Craegmoor service feels completely empowered and involved in how the service is run.

Emphasising that the decision maker throughout has to be the person who uses the service, Ted told the conference:

“Everything that the Government does needs to be focused around the individuals that require support. The Government should not be thinking about what they can do to help care homes or supported living schemes or independent hospitals or whatever. The Government should focus on what can be done to help individuals and this must be backed up with appropriate funding.

“When the Government shifts into this all important mindset we might start to see positive changes. Changes that will affect all providers – so that all services place the people who use them at the centre of everything they do.

“Services that are high quality, good value and innovative with excellent outcomes will be the services of the future.

“Services that are described as poor or adequate. Services that are overpriced or, much worse, underpriced. Services that are narrow in their solutions. Above all, services that lack options for the people who use them to develop. These services will wither and die.

“In making this shift it will be the individuals who use services who will be the agents of change. Not the Government, not providers nor purchasers.

“This is personalisation.”

Notes for Editors

For further information please contact the Craegmoor Press Office on: 01905 459 813

  • Craegmoor is one of the leading independent providers of specialist support in the UK with a turnover of approximately £170m and employs over 6,500 people.
  • It has a portfolio comprising specialist and nursing residential support, mental health hospitals, specialist adult colleges and supported living schemes with over 4,700 beds across 234 homes.
  • The wide range of services offered by Craegmoor include: Specialist support for adults with learning disabilities and mental health illnesses, Nursing and residential support for older people and Independent Hospitals
  • Craegmoor has 2,229 Specialist beds including 143 beds in three colleges.
  • Craegmoor has currently 2,242 Older People beds and 237 beds in the company’s Independent Hospitals.
  • Working closely with local authorities, Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts, Craegmoor is committed to building partnerships focused on constant service improvements which meet the needs of individual people and which are in line with regulatory requirements and best practice.