Comments on: Personal budgets – an update http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/personal-budgets-an-update/ Politics, brains, social action and the day to day life of the RSA’s chief executive Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:15:48 +0000 hourly 1 By: Richard Humphries http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/personal-budgets-an-update/comment-page-1/#comment-4255 Richard Humphries Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:56:13 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2517#comment-4255 Joe - your comment helpfully illustrates a paradox about how you get real change in public services. Plenty of evidence that people want PBs, yet huge variation from one place to another. How do you get all Councils to offer PBs without the top-down target that, as you say, could take choice away ? Although 5% of people on social care PBs doesn't exactly suggest lots of people are being browbeaten into having them. I agree totally that we need better measures of success for personalisation (an end for which PBs are one means of achieving). Do get in touch if you want to discuss further. Joe – your comment helpfully illustrates a paradox about how you get real change in public services. Plenty of evidence that people want PBs, yet huge variation from one place to another. How do you get all Councils to offer PBs without the top-down target that, as you say, could take choice away ? Although 5% of people on social care PBs doesn’t exactly suggest lots of people are being browbeaten into having them. I agree totally that we need better measures of success for personalisation (an end for which PBs are one means of achieving). Do get in touch if you want to discuss further.

]]> By: matthewtaylor http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/personal-budgets-an-update/comment-page-1/#comment-3859 matthewtaylor Wed, 25 Nov 2009 17:00:51 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2517#comment-3859 Thanks Rich. This is a really interesting comment. I am snowed under at present but it's something i hope to think and write about further in the future. Thanks Rich. This is a really interesting comment. I am snowed under at present but it’s something i hope to think and write about further in the future.

]]> By: matthewtaylor http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/personal-budgets-an-update/comment-page-1/#comment-3858 matthewtaylor Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:59:32 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2517#comment-3858 Interesting Joe. You should talk to Richard at KF, especially as budgets move into long term health care. An inevitable and unavoidable issue is that if more people opt out of a service it can become non-viable thus taking away choice from people who chose to sue it. This is what markets do i guess. Interesting Joe. You should talk to Richard at KF, especially as budgets move into long term health care. An inevitable and unavoidable issue is that if more people opt out of a service it can become non-viable thus taking away choice from people who chose to sue it. This is what markets do i guess.

]]> By: Enterprise for a better world : Matthew Taylor’s blog http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/personal-budgets-an-update/comment-page-1/#comment-3840 Enterprise for a better world : Matthew Taylor’s blog Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:37:21 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2517#comment-3840 [...] enhance public sector productivity and performance (for example, the use of citizen payment cards as we discussed in a 2020 Public Services Trust seminar here [...] [...] enhance public sector productivity and performance (for example, the use of citizen payment cards as we discussed in a 2020 Public Services Trust seminar here [...]

]]> By: Joe FD http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/thersa/personal-budgets-an-update/comment-page-1/#comment-3828 Joe FD Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:25:59 +0000 http://www.matthewtaylorsblog.com/?p=2517#comment-3828 I'm worried about using headline stats about the numbers/ percentages on personal budgets as a measure of success. It is vital that personal budgets in social care or health remain a personal choice. We have experience in our family of councils forcing people onto direct payments by taking away the option of having a service provided. The authorities freely admit the aim is to reduce costs. It is worrying if an idea that was supposed to be about empowerment and self-determination becomes a threatening, inflexible imposition on vulnerable people. I’m worried about using headline stats about the numbers/ percentages on personal budgets as a measure of success.

It is vital that personal budgets in social care or health remain a personal choice. We have experience in our family of councils forcing people onto direct payments by taking away the option of having a service provided. The authorities freely admit the aim is to reduce costs.

It is worrying if an idea that was supposed to be about empowerment and self-determination becomes a threatening, inflexible imposition on vulnerable people.

]]>