I think personalisation has to start with a one page profile. A one page profile is a page of information about you and usually has three sections: an appreciation section about your qualities, what is important to you and support and help you may need from others. A one page profile reflects the balance of whats important to and for someone.

Historically, our health and social care services have emphasised what is important for people focusing on what it takes to keep them healthy and safe. Personalisation brings us back into balance. People are the expert in their own lives and we must know and pay attention to what matters to people and deliver support in the context of how people want to live their life. I have been thinking about what this could look like in schools, work and healthcare.

For me, a one-page profile is the foundation stone of personalised services. You cannot deliver personalisation without knowing what is important to the person and how they want to be supported. It can start at birth and can continue to the end of your life. Flo is the youngest person I know that has a one page profile. Her one page profile was created when she was just three months old. The family used it to share with grandparents when they were babysitting and with the team around Flo, who were providing her and her family with additional support. The one-page profile was important in helping Flo settle into nursery, providing information about who she is, and the support she needs.

What would it be like if one page profiles were used throughout schools, workplaces and health and social care? We are starting to see some of this happening in the UK. Can you imagine having a one page profile for your child at school? If it had information showing what people valued about your child;  recognising their gifts and talents; and was updated every year. What if the curriculum reflected what really matters to your child and every teacher knew exactly the best ways to provide individual support? At one mainstram primary school this is starting to happen, and not only does every child have a one page profile, but the teachers and teaching assistants do as well.

What about work? What if  people in your team had the opportunity to share what they appreciate about you? What if they knew what really matters to you as an individual and how to support you to work at your best? What difference could that make to your work experience? Some national organisations are doing this and are seeing a reduction in absences as a result.

What could this mean as we move towards personalising health care? What would it be like if you went into hospital and the first sheet of your notes was a one page profile? How would your experience in hospital be different if nurses knew you as a person and could talk to you about what matters to you? What if you were asked at admission what would make your hospital stay work well for you, and what would the best care and support look like from your perspective? I don't mean being treated with respect and care - we expect this to happen for everyone, but the very particular things that are just about you. For example the best ways to share information with you and the best ways to involve you in decisions.

You might be thinking, "I don't want everyone to know everything about me", but of course you'd only share the personal information that you wanted to.  For example, I am really happy for you to know that I have three teenage daughters and I'm a black belt in karate; I have a flock of seven hens that lay eggs periodically; I am a morning person and rarely stay up past 10:30pm and I get so excited about work that I have problems sleeping; I love single malts, especially those from Islay, but I am equally obsessed about black teas as well.  But there is information that I would not want you to know in detail, for example, my family's experience of cancer, unless that was directly related to the point you were giving.

What if there was an app for this and you could develop your own one page profile and share it with whoever you want to?

So does knowing more about me and other people change things? I think it does.  Conversation starts in a different place but is even more powerful when this is reciprocated. Imagine the first time you met a new social worker and they introduced themselves by sharing their one page profile with you?

For me, that is what personalisation is all about. It is a change in power. It is a different way to listen to people. It is a different way to work together and to pay attention to how people want to live their lives, not just keeping people safe with professionals in charge. So if your job has anything to do with personalisation and you don't start with a one page profile, where will you start?