Person-Centred Care (PCC) is a fundamental principle of modern healthcare but one which is often not fully understood. A one-size-fits-all health and care system simply cannot meet the increasing complexity of people’s needs and expectations. People are living longer, often with multiple long-term conditions, and many require ongoing support rather than one-off episodes of care. Traditional, service led models are poorly suited to this reality and can lead to fragmented care, poor experience, and inefficiency. NHSE and NICE guidance place involvement in decisions and personalised care at the heart of quality services.
Personalised care shifts healthcare from “What’s the matter with you?” to “What matters to you?” - a change that benefits patients, clinicians, and the health system as a whole. It represents a new relationship between people, professionals and the system and ensures that we make the most of the expertise, capacity and potential of people, families and communities. The aim is to offer individuals the same choice and control over their mental and physical health that they have come to expect in every other aspect of their life.
The regulatory framework
As well as the practical considerations of ensuring PCC is delivered, it is important to grasp how this principle fits within the regulatory framework that applies to health and care.
One of the CQC’s five key questions under the current Single Assessment Framework involves considering whether a service is “Responsive”. In order to demonstrate responsiveness, a service must be able to show that “People and communities are always at the centre of how care is planned and delivered. The health and care needs of people and communities are understood, and they are actively involved in planning care that meets these needs.”
PCC forms one of the main topics assessed in order for the CQC to provide an organisation with a rating in relation to responsiveness. Under the current framework, the relevant Quality Statement is, “We make sure people are at the centre of their care and treatment choices and we decide, in partnership with them, how to respond to any relevant changes in their needs.” This clearly therefore involves elements of care planning, shared decision making, ensuring patient and carer understanding, consideration of most appropriate care/ treatment and reasonable adjustments if required.
Regulation 9 of the Regulated Activities Regulations 2014 specifically covers PCC - Regulation 9: Person-centred care and there is also specific guidance provided by organisations such as NICE which address the principles of PCC which underpin good practice in dementia care (see NICE Guidance NG97) which covers human value of people living with dementia, individuality (personality and life experiences), the importance of relationships and interactions and also the fundamental importance of taking into account the needs of carers.
Training tools for delivering Person-Centred Care
It is important to ensure that clinical teams are fully equipped to deliver effective and good quality PCC. Training might involve the use of video or online sessions to clearly demonstrate what good communication does and doesn’t look like, role play, action learning sets (exploration in small groups, reflecting on challenges, exploring and problem solving new ways of doing things, and testing them in practice in a planned way) and reflective group work (feeding back in groups to enable individuals to hear and learn from others perspectives and experiences, supported by trained facilitator to manage dynamics and interactions).
Person-Centred Care in practice
Some examples of feedback that would demonstrate a good level of PCC might look like the following:
- Patients said they were respected, encouraged, and emotionally supported, and commented on how much choice, control, and independence they have now.
- Service users were supported to write up the review outcomes and goals they wanted to work on in the future.
- They liked to see their 'own language' in their reviews, unchanged for health professionals.
- Staff were excellent at exploring different ways to communicate with people, so they could express their needs and get their opinions heard. One person was supported to take complete control of their person-centred review, which included healthcare professionals.
How Person-Centred Care benefits patients
Evidence shows that involving people in their own care leads to:
- Improved adherence to treatment.
- Better self-management of long-term conditions.
- Improved physical and mental health outcomes.
Patients who understand and agree with their care plans are more likely to follow them, reducing avoidable deterioration and hospital admissions.
How Person-Centred Care benefits clinicians and staff
PCC allows clinicians to work in partnership with patients rather than delivering care to them. This supports professional values, improves communication, and enables better shared decision making. When patients are better informed and supported to self-manage, clinicians spend less time on avoidable follow-ups, repeated explanations, and crisis care.
How Person-Centred Care drives better system outcomes
Key system level benefits include:
- Reduced hospital admissions and length of stay through prevention and supported self-management.
- Better coordination across services, reducing duplication and waste.
- Lower overall costs, as personalised care focuses resources where they add most value.
At Weightmans we can advise and provide support in relation to CQC regulation, advice on enforcement action including representations against warning notices and notices of proposal as well as appeals to the First Tier Tribunal. We can provide full strategic oversight for Due Diligence reviews from a regulatory perspective and our team have in-depth knowledge of the particular challenges experienced by care providers in both residential and domiciliary care settings.
If you would like to discuss any of the challenges you are currently facing please do not hesitate to contact Charlie Mawdesley or Sarah Knight.
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