Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment has been made of co-designing social care to meet community needs in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Local authorities should pursue the principle that market shaping and commissioning should be shared endeavours, with commissioners working alongside people with care and support needs, carers, family members, care providers, representatives of care workers, relevant voluntary, user, and other support organisations, and the public to find shared and agreed solutions.

To support this aim, the Department funds Think Local Act Personal (TLAP) as part of its national improvement and support offer to the sector. TLAP’s Making it Real framework and principles ought to be used to facilitate people who draw on care and support in shaping services. TLAP also helps with practical models of self-directed support and advice on the personalisation of services to the areas that request it.

As local authorities are responsible for commissioning social care, Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes City Councils will be able to provide a response relating to the specifics of how co-designing social care to meet community needs has been carried out.