What is person centred care in health and social care?

Person centred care, sometimes referred to as person-centred care, means that caregivers focus on the individual receiving the care. This approach acknowledges that each person is unique, with their own set of needs and people preferences.

It moves away from a one-size-fits-all approach. Instead, it offers care tailored to each person's circumstances. This ensures individuals stay at the centre of all care decisions and actions.

What is person centred care?

Person centred care involves treating individuals as active participants in the planning and delivery of their care. Working in a person-focused way means looking at all parts of a person's life. This includes their emotional, social, and practical needs, not just their medical or physical needs.

An individual-centred approach is a holistic way of supporting individuals to manage their health and wellbeing with dignity. It emphasises their strengths and abilities, rather than focusing solely on their condition.

Different regulatory bodies in the UK govern person centred care, depending on the location of the care. In England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) outlines the concept of person centred care. You can find this in Regulation 9 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008. This is part of the Regulated Activities Regulations 2014, which says:

"Providers must consider the individual's capacity to consent and ensure that they, or someone legally representing them, actively participate in planning, managing, and evaluating their care and treatment."

The CQC cannot take legal action for breaking this rule. However, it can take steps that often affect a provider's rating.

Why is it important?

Person centred care leads to better health outcomes and higher patient satisfaction. It also helps use healthcare resources more efficiently.

Individuals are more likely to stick to treatment plans. They also engage in healthy behaviours and feel empowered to manage their condition and treatment options.

This approach improves service quality for those receiving it. It also fosters dignity and compassion in the aid process.

'Care Certificate Standard 5' shows how important it is to use a person focused approach. Hence this approach is key to providing high-quality healthcare. Care workers must consider each individual's unique needs, preferences, and values in their approach through people-centred care practices.

Examples for personalised care

• Creating personalised care plans that reflect the individual's preferences.
• Involving them in decision-making processes.
• Providing coordinated support that addresses their holistic needs.

Person centred care values

Person centred values in care are key principles that guide how a service is provided. People-focused care environment values, understands, and empowers individuals.

The key values include:

• Individuality: Recognising each person's unique combination of identity, beliefs, needs, and preferences is crucial.
• Choice: Providing individuals with the power to make decisions about their care.
• Independence: It is key to assist individuals in achieving as much independence as possible. This means supporting them to do what they can on their own rather than leaving them to manage themselves.
• Dignity: Everyone deserves support that respects their dignity. Especially when considering their beliefs without assuming their preferences. This is particularly important in sensitive areas of personal care.
• Respect: Acknowledging and valuing each person's opinions and feelings as valid — even when you disagree.
• Rights: We should protect every person's rights. This includes the right to life, safety, liberty, security, and equality. The Human Rights Act 1998 defines these rights, and they should be a key part of practices.
• Privacy: Ensuring individuals' right to privacy, mainly concerning personal hygiene and intimate procedures, is essential. Carers should carefully manage access to personal information, requiring consent and consideration on a need-to-know basis.
• Partnership: Care should be a collaborative process involving individuals and their families as partners in decision-making. As a result, this encourages shared decisions that recognise and develop the individual's preferences and needs.

The person centred care framework

The person centred care framework outlines the principles and practices that underpin effective quality care. It emphasises the importance of understanding the individual, their priorities, and their goals.

It guides healthcare professionals to work in a person-centred way. The framework ensures that support plans are flexible, responsive, and designed to meet each person's unique needs. This supports their health and well-being over the long term.

Individual-centred support means treating people with respect, therefore that type of care values them as individuals. That type of service also recognises the service user's ability to make choices about their own care.

By using these values in healthcare, we make sure care meets physical needs and helps with emotional and social well-being. Therefore greatly improving the overall quality of life for service users.

What are the 4 principles of person centred care?

The Health Foundation has developed four principles of person centred care. These principles are key rules for providing care services that meets each patient's unique needs and wants.

The 4 principles are:

1. Respecting and valuing individuality: This principle emphasises recognising and honouring each person's unique qualities, preferences, and life experiences.
2. Empowering choice: Central to person centred care, is empowering individuals to make informed choices about their support and treatment.
3. Ensuring participation in care planning: This involves individuals actively participating in developing and reviewing their care plans.
4. Promoting independence: The key is to enhance individuals' ability to manage their provision and maintain their independence.

People-focused care training

Adapting client-centred care doesn’t just require intention. It requires knowledge, understanding and the correct tools. This is why we have developed a comprehensive eLearning course on the fundamentals of person centred care.

Our course explores the main values, framework, and principles of delivering this type of quality provision. Furthermore, the training highlights the need to respect individuality and treat people with dignity. The online course teaches learners to work with a focus on client-centred care. As a result, the training gives learners practical strategies to customise support for each person's unique needs and preferences.

Our Person Centred Care training course focuses on the values that support social care work, it promotes wellbeing and mental health, which is part of the online care certificate.