What is Personalisation?

Imagine a world where you:

• Are the most important person in your health and care.
• Are seen as an equal and active partner in conversations and decision-making about your health and wellbeing.
• Are not just a 'patient' with symptoms and separate conditions, but are seen as a whole person with goals, values, lifestyle, family, and a community, because all of these play a part in your health.
• Are not offered a one-size-fits-all approach but instead you are supported to make a shared and informed decision about your health and wellbeing needs so you can live the life you want to live.
• Only have to tell your story once and the focus of the conversation is built around the question "What matters to you?", not "What is the matter with you?"

This is 'personalisation'. All of the above apply to you - health and care professionals are people too!  But they also, of course, apply to the people you support and care for.

Personalised care: putting people at the centre

At its heart, personalised care is about having better, more meaningful conversations with people. It’s about listening, understanding what matters most to them, and shaping care and support around their individual needs, goals and lives.

When we work in this way, outcomes improve. People feel seen, heard, and empowered - and we build better, stronger, more trusting relationships.

A two-way partnership

Personalised care isn't something we do to people - it's something we create with them.

It relies on people feeling confident to ask questions, share what’s important, and take an active role in their care. At the same time, it requires professionals to listen deeply and use that information to tailor care, and support treatment in a way that feels right for the individual.

Supporting prevention and self-management

Helping people stay well is just as important as treating illness. That’s why personalised care includes supporting people to manage their own health, make positive lifestyle changes, and feel confident in taking small steps that make a big difference. It's a vital part of prevention and of helping people enjoy the best possible health and wellbeing.

Challenging inequality, one person at a time

Personalised care also plays a key role in tackling health inequalities. By adapting services to meet people where they are - and understanding the barriers they face - we can help make health and care more fair, more accessible, and more inclusive.

This is how we move toward a health and care system that works better for everyone.

Changing culture takes time - and all of us

Delivering truly personalised care is not without challenges. It means shifting long-held ways of working, changing conversations, and building a new culture - something that doesn’t happen overnight.

But change is possible - and the It's All About People Personalisation Programme Team is committed to it!

Making personalisation happen in Lincolnshire

To make personalisation 'business as usual' in Lincolnshire, the It's All About People Personalisation Programme Team is delivering:

• Our Shared Agreement and the Five Foundations - a movement, a framework, a guide, a call to action to support you to build a better relationship between people and health and care in Lincolnshire.
• Learning and Development - training and education to build skills and confidence across the system workforce.
• Personalisation tools and approaches for you to use in your day-to-day work.
• Clear, compassionate communication across our system.
• Supportive challenge to help teams adopt, embed, and grow personalisation in their day-to-day practice.
• Creative partnerships with services and organisations across Lincolnshire.

And most importantly, we’re working with people with lived experience to co-produce this work - because no one understands what good care looks like better than the people receiving it.

Personalised care is about people. It's about partnership. And it’s about all of us working together to create care that truly makes a difference.

Let’s keep building it—together.

Personalisation is key to the future of health and care in Lincolnshire

Personalised care is at the heart of the vision for a more joined-up, flexible, and people-focused health and care system, one that offers more options, better support, and care that’s there when and where it’s needed most.

Personalisation is a key element of both the Better Lives Lincolnshire Integrated Care Partnership (ICP) Strategy and the NHS Lincolnshire Joint Forward Plan 2023 – 2028

Download both strategy documents to see the essential role that personalisation and a 'better relationship' play in the future of health and care in Lincolnshire.

Lord Darzi’s 2024 report Independent investigation of the NHS in England states that “the best change empowers patients to take as much control of their care as possible.”

So, the direction is clear.

By committing to person-centred care and engaging in personalised care training, Lincolnshire services and organisations can deliver on a vision for a health, care and wellbeing system that is truly built around people.

How to work in a personalised way

Bringing personalisation into your everyday work doesn’t mean adding more to your plate – it’s often about working differently, not harder.

Here’s how you can do it:

• Start with what matters most: Ask the people you support open, curious questions like “What matters to you?”, “What’s important to you right now?” or “What does a good day look like?” - and really listen to their answers.

• Nurture a better relationship: Work to build relationships with the people you support that are built on trust, respect, and collaboration. In Lincolnshire we are using Our Shared Agreement and the Five Foundations to build this better relationship.

• Make decisions together: Talk clearly and openly about the options and what they mean, then support people to choose what feels right for them, not just what the guidelines say. It’s about shared decisions that make sense in real life.

• Co-produce care plans: Involve people in shaping their own personalised care and support plans, based on their strengths, needs, and what they want from life, not just from services.

• Support people to live well, not just be treated: It’s not just about appointments  - it’s about feeling good in everyday life. Support people to connect with local activities, groups or services that lift their mood, build confidence, and bring connection.

• Shine a light on strengths: Make the most of what we have available to us - what people, families, and communities already know, do, and can offer. Support people to build on what they’re good at, what they enjoy, and what gives them confidence. Focusing on strengths – not just problems – boosts motivation and leads to better outcomes.

Use our Personalised Care Maturity Assessment Tool to review, understand, and benchmark where your service or organisation is in terms of working, and delivering care, in a personalised and strengths-based way.

Our Personalised Care Quality Improvement Guide provides a clear, structured framework to help services and organisations identify gaps in their delivery of personalised care, implement targeted improvements, and continuously monitor progress.

What are the benefits – for people and for you?

For the people you support:

• They feel heard, valued, respected, and supported every step of the way.
• Their care fits better with their life - it makes sense to them.
• They're more likely to feel motivated, stick with treatment, and manage their health with confidence, because they understand what’s going on and what their options are.
• Their overall wellbeing improves - not just their health, but how they feel day to day.

For you and your team:

• You get to build stronger, more meaningful relationships with the people you support, based on based on trust, empathy, and collaboration.
• It reduces frustration and duplication - because care is better joined-up and more focused on what actually helps.
• It’s more rewarding - you see real impact, and people who feel genuinely supported.
• It helps create a healthier, more compassionate system - one where everyone feels respected and involved.
• Reduced pressure on services, as people are empowered to manage their health and make choices that work for them.