Promoting person-centred care at the front line Anthea Innes, Suzi Macpherson and Louise McCabe This report documents the barriers and opportunities to the delivery of person-centred support/care by frontline workers. Recent policy developments across the UK have highlighted the importance of a more ‘person-centred’ approach within community care services. Within this framework, however, little attention has been given to the role played by frontline workers in limiting, facilitating or delivering on these policy imperatives. Understanding the roles and experiences of frontline workers is crucial in understanding how frontline care can be made more ‘person-centred’. The views of service users are also key in understanding how to promote independence. This report explores frontline work within the context of service user experiences, and identifies the structural barriers within which frontline workers function. It highlights the personal attributes and qualities that frontline workers bring to their role, and the satisfactions and frustrations of their work. As well as reviewing the literature in this area, the study consulted frontline workers and service users about their experiences of providing and receiving care/support. Such consultation confirmed the findings of the literature review that, although there are examples of good and innovative frontline work, there are many structural obstacles to overcome for services to be ‘person-centred’. The report will be of interest to service providers, user organisations, service users and all those involved in developing services for older people, disabled people and people from minority ethnic communities.