Most small to medium voluntary and community organisations are not ready to deliver on personalisation, especially in relation to people with an individual budget buying services from their organisation.

NAVCA have produced an organisational health check to assist development workers in designing action plans with organisations who want to engage in personalisation.  The following key areas are highlighted as key considerations in assessing whether or not an organisation is ready to engage in personalisation:-

Does your organisation demonstrate:-

1. Commitment to the values and culture of personalisation
2. Sign-up from the Trustee Board
3. Sign-up from staff and volunteers
4. Effective engagement with people with support needs
5. Knowledge of the current and future demand for services
6. Effective engagement with local authority policy, planning and implementation of personalisation
7. Adaptable, flexible and able to respond quickly to a changing environment
8. Effective change management
9. Understanding of unit costs and how to price services
10. Efficient and flexible finance and IT systems
11. HR practices that support personalisation
12. Well developed marketing strategy
13. Undertaking person centred planning
14. Development of information, advice, advocacy and brokerage services
15. Development of direct payment support scheme

Whilst not all the above are relevant for all organisations, most organisations will have a number of organisational and business development needs if they are to engage in personalisation.

If you would like support in going through the NAVCA health check or require support in any of the areas detailed above, then please contact CVS and ask for a member of the Health and Social Care Project team.  Furthermore, we will be organising a range of training events aimed at organisational and business development – keep an eye out for details.

The health check can be found here:

http://www.navca.org.uk/NR/rdonlyres/2E293E97-F814-4871-A58E-51C3F3624055/0/PersonalisationhealthcheckFINAL.doc

Progress for Providers has a simple self-assessment tool to help providers think about their progress in responding to the personalisation agenda