Care and support planning

National Voices believes that anyone with a continuing condition or disability needs to be able to plan their care over time with a support partner, instead of having to keep going back to services which only react to us in short episodes.

Care and support planning is a defined process which helps people set their own aims, and then secures the support and care that are needed to achieve them. It is the key that unlocks person centred, coordinated care.

Care and support planning guide

National Voices has produced a guide to care and support planning designed to help anyone - people with needs, or health and social care staff to understand and take part in this process.

Download the Care and Support Planning Guide from the Publications section of the website.

What is care and support planning?

Care and support planning is a defined process which helps people set their own aims, and then secures the support and care that are needed to achieve them. It is the key that unlocks person centred, coordinated care. It is about working with a care and support partner to think about:  

  • what is important to you
  • things you can do to live well and stay well
  • what care and support you might need from others

Care and support planning is for anyone who has health and care needs over time.

Why do we need care and support planning?

You live with your condition and/or disability every day and make decisions about how to manage it. Over time, you learn what works best for you, what information, care and support you need and how it fits into your life.

The professional or supporter you work with could be a doctor, nurse or social worker, another professional or someone from a support organisation.

They bring the skills and knowledge to help you understand your condition or disability and the choices for monitoring, treatment and available support.

Care and support planning makes the best use of you and your professional or supporter's expertise and the time you spend together.

And what about the role of voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations?

Download the discussion paper, 'What is the role of VCSE organisations in care and support planning?', from the Publications section of the website.

This paper considers how voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations can meaningfully contribute to the care and support planning process, and offers practical examples of the diverse ways in which this is already happening. It argues that the knowledge, skills, experience and resources of the VCSE sector are crucial factors in developing care and support planning at scale.