Mencap presentation by Richard Wilson, Commercial Development Manager, May 2010

2. Mencap presentation
An overview of
learning disability
services
Richard Wilson
Commercial Development Manager
May 2010

3. Background
• Historically care and support for vulnerable people was
provided by philanthropic organisations
• Based on a desire to ‘do good and give relief to those in
need’
• Emergence of institutional settings, poor houses and
colonies
• State provision, subsidence levels only

4. The Welfare State
• Created in 1948
• Focus on health needs not social needs
• Shift to state holding responsibility for provision of services to vulnerable
people funded through taxation
• Emergence of NGO’s, campaigning and raising profile of needs of
vulnerable people and their families
• Mencap founded in 1946
• Campaigning successfully led to the development of more and better
services. (Better services for the Mentally Handicapped 1971,
Government White paper)

5. Introduction of Community
Care
• Government Care Act 1990 moved responsibility from State
Government to Local Government
• Birth of mixed funding streams
• Based provision around the assessment of an individual's needs
• Focus on local and mainstream services
• Local Governments budget for the provision of care and support was
cash limited
• Local, government Purchaser provider split created
• Clearly defined tender process
• Local Government urged to contract with ‘not for profit’ providers to
deliver services

6. Personalisation agenda
• Driven by ‘Valuing People’ last 10 years have seen new approach to LD
• move from care homes to individual tenancies
• Focus on support at home and early medical intervention
• Use of mainstream benefit systems
• Emphasis on involvement and consultation
• People having greater choice about where and who they live with
• Personalisation builds service around the person
• People able to purchase their own care through the ‘direct payments’ scheme
– users can become employers
• Growth of brokerage services
• Far more flexible staff structures

7. Questions

8. Contracting culture
• Local Government secured service provision by legal contracts
• Best value / MEAT (most economically advantageous tender)
tendering processes
• Approved providers
• Shift in purpose of Non Government Organisations from
philanthropic to accountable service providers
• ‘Not for profit’ bodies required to demonstrate that they had:
– Sound financial systems
– Good policies and procedures
– Effective management structures
• Created risks for ‘not for profit’ organisations e.g. risks to Trustees
• Created tensions as many bodies were campaigning groups as well
as service providers

9. Current position
• Government still committed to mixed economy for service
delivery
• Introduce protocols for local government when working
with ‘not for profit’ organisations, COMPACT
• Provide money for small ‘not for profit’ organisations to
build infrastructure e.g. Future Builders’ programme
• Gershon report reviews the way in which government
purchases services

10. How is quality ensured
• Compliance with external requirements, legal and
contractual – monitoring processes
• Having clear organisational standards to work to
• Have a framework for quality improvement
• Keeping in touch with customers needs, service users
and commissioners
• Person centred planning / approaches

11. Questions

12. More about Mencap
Visit our website www.mencap.org.uk
Or email us info.cdt@mencap.org.uk
richard.wilson@mencap.org.uk