Personal outcomes

In Scotland there is growing commitment across the health and social care system to focus on the outcomes important to children and adults using services and support, as well as their families and unpaid carers. Personal outcomes are like goals but tend to represent broader themes of wellbeing and quality of life. They also include themes which promote positive relationships in life in general, as well as with practitioners. Identifying, capturing and working collaboratively towards personal outcomes involves building trust and getting to know the person, and building a story of their life and priorities to influence decisions. There are important factors to consider about the focus on outcomes during the pandemic.

During the initial crisis response the main concern was to ensure that core collective outcomes for people requiring support were attended to. As time went on and staff were more able to engage with people, it became possible to refocus on personal outcomes, on a more individualised basis. Practitioner stories illustrate this shift over time. On balance, this heart captures the most commonly identified outcomes in our stories.

Transcript for Julie: ‘Personal outcomes has helped me articulate my values in practice’

Transcript for Don: ‘There is no one size fits all in this sector’