Last week, NHS England set out how they will implement a comprehensive model of Universal Personalised Care, building on the Long Term Plan’s ambition to make personalised care business as usual across the health and care system. Nesta were one of several co-signatories to the plan and we welcome it as a major achievement.

Consensus has been growing over recent years that people should be supported to actively shape their health and care, but this plan is a step-change in two ways.

Firstly, in profile. Recognising Personalisation as one of the five elements of the new NHS service model is a major leap into the mainstream – a breakthrough from ‘nice to have’ to essential.

Secondly, the plan operationalises the agenda in ways that have not been previously achieved. It translates vague concepts like ‘social prescribing’ into an implementable model that – importantly – is recognisable to the formal health and care system.

So in both profile and specification this plan represents a new era for people having a voice, being informed and having control over their health, care and wellbeing.

The plan is also a culmination of the work of many people across different fields and over several decades – much of it outside of the NHS. The disability movement has driven some of the biggest innovations in social policy in recent years, including personal budgets, which form an essential element of personalisation. The vibrant voluntary, community and social enterprise sector has successfully innovated models of peer support and recovery, health coaching and much more. The strategy also builds on innovation from within the health and care system, often led by pioneering clinicians, such as shared decision-making.

At Nesta we have contributed to the body of research and practice underpinning the plan through our work with partners on ‘people powered health’. This work began 10 years ago with a set of research reports on co-production, exploring the benefits of sharing power with citizens, and has since included:

• Supporting some incredible teams through grant programmes, including Ways to Wellness in Newcastle, the world’s first social impact bond on social prescribing, theLambeth Living Well Collaborative, Age UK’s Integrated Care Model, British Red Cross First Call and numerous others.
• Publishing reports such as The NHS in 2030, imagining a future health system powered by people and knowledge.
• Influencing with partners through networks such as the Coalition for Collaborative Care, which Nesta co-founded.
• Supporting the NHS Five Year Forward View through Realising the Value, an 18 month programme with partners, including the Health Foundation and Voluntary Voices, making the case for people and communities at the heart of health and wellbeing.
• Supporting frontline teams to rapidly adopt and scale integrated personal commissioning, and working with the national Integrated Personal Commissioning programme through our People Powered Results 100 day work.

Through our work we have sought to build on the determination and strength of innovators demanding more equal and shared models of power in health. These innovators have sometimes been people with lived experience, sometimes clinicians, sometimes voluntary sector organisations, sometimes managers and commissioners in formal services. Wherever they are, they have shown that a more people-powered approach to health, care and wellbeing is not just possible, it’s essential for both citizens and the system:

• The social, psychological and behavioural aspects of health are as important as the biomedical.
• Genuinely listening to what people want is a way to build trust and motivation towards healthier lives.
• The voluntary, community and social enterprise sector have a key role in supporting people to live better with ongoing health conditions and wider support needs.

All of these principles have been incorporated into the Universal Personalised Care plan and we are proud of the work we’ve done with partners that has helped to make this happen.

However like any plan, the real success lies in the execution and questions remain about how the plan can turn into reality for thousands and ultimately millions of people. There’s the issue of funding and also whether it can be done without becoming another ‘tick box’.

But amongst the challenges left to address, let’s also celebrate what it has been achieved to reach this point of recognition and specification. Let’s acknowledge the distance travelled and tireless work of innovators both inside and outside of the formal health and care system who have demanded this shift. At Nesta we’ve been committed to this change and warmly welcome this plan as a stepping stone towards changing lives for the better.