Push For ‘Personalised’ Services

Prime Minister Tony Blair has called for “truly personalised” services with people given the information and power needed to choose a school or hospital. His policy review of public services says people want services more tailored to their needs, with more choice and a “greater diversity of providers”.

To help “empower” people, schools and hospital league tables may include satisfaction ratings like on eBay. Ideas include publishing the cost of things such as a visit to a GP.

The review is the first in a series setting out policy for the next decade. They are intended to see what has worked “after 10 years in power… what should be intensified; and on what new directions should be pursued”.

Among the review’s specific plans are for school websites which give updated details of children’s progress, attendance and homework record. Other proposals featured include introducing more NHS “walk-in” centres, especially in places there are not enough doctors, and opening more surgeries in evenings and at weekends.

The review also says better technology will allow patients to book appointments at more convenient times and choose to have operations closer to where their relatives live. It calls for more “contestability” – or competition – where education and health services are not effective.

For instance, it could be “made easier” to set up smaller schools where larger existing ones are failing, while areas with “multiple failing schools” could have contracts put out to tender.

Competition could also be extended to council services, such as street-cleaning and foster care, and some policing, the review says.

Meanwhile, people could be told the cost of, say, a visit to the GP, in an effort to make them “more prudent” in their use. And, university students, who may believe their fees pay for their education, could be informed of the total cost of their course at the beginning of each year.

At the document’s launch in Hackney, east London, Mr Blair said: “What we want is to keep these basic public service values, which are about access to quality public services irrespective of your wealth, but make sure those are truly personalised services where there’s a much greater diversity of provider and the old ways of working are broken down.”

Mr Blair said it was important to “empower” public service workers and reach out to the most excluded in society. Chancellor Gordon Brown, Health Secretary Patricia Hewitt and Education Secretary Alan Johnson also attended the launch. Ms Hewitt said: “Technology is really expanding what is possible.

“The new technology that we’re introducing into the health service will allow staff to offer people much more flexible access to health care, appointments at more convenient times, patients able to register closer to work or chose an operation closer to their relatives.”

Mr Brown, the favourite to replace Mr Blair as prime minister later this year, said: “The next stage of improving our public services is personalised services tailored towards people’s needs.” In health, he singled out the example of a pharmacy being able to offer blood tests. And in education, personalised tuition should be offered to make sure children did not fall behind their classmates, he added.

Mr Brown also promised to make “major announcements” on the government’s City Academies programme in his Budget this Wednesday.