Enhancing the Efficiency And Effectiveness of Assessment in Community Care David Challis, Jane Hughe

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Enhancing the Efficiency And Effectiveness of
Assessment in Community CareDavid Challis,
Jane Hughes and Paul Clarkson


PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit At
the University of Manchester
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SUMMARY

• Background to the evaluation
• SWOT analysis to identify potential gains and
  pitfalls in the interventions to improve the
  efficiency and effectiveness of assessment
  processes

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
3

STUDY AIM
To evaluate assessment initiatives promoted by
the Department of Health designed to improve
assessment efficiency and examine the use and
contribution of self assessment
PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
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PSSRU RESEARCH ASSESSMENT IN THE COMMUNITY FOR
VULNERABLE ADULTS

• Survey of assessment documents
• Specialist clinical assessment of older people
  prior to placement in care homes
• Review of social care services before
  modernisation (4 adult user groups)
• Evaluation of the development and impact of the
  SAP

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
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POLICY CONTEXT

• Assessment of need - the cornerstone of high
  quality care (Cm 849,1989)
• Improve consistency of assessments and
  transferability between disciplines - SAP (DH,
  2001 2002)
• Self assessment as a means of giving people more
  control over the provision of social care
  services has been confirmed (Cm 6737, 2006).

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
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SELF ASSESSMENT

• Involving older people as fully as possible is
  reflected in the standard of person-centred care
  in the NSFOP (DH, 2002)
• Recent literature review suggested that some
  progress in involving older people in the
  assessment since 1993 but movement to fuller
  involvement and participation is limited (Challis
  et al.,2004)
• Professional assessment will continue to be
  required to identify unexpressed need and offer
  protection to very vulnerable older people
  (Challis et al.,2004)

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS (1)

• What is the relationship between eligibility
  determination procedures and assessment
  procedures?
• Are there differences in the determination of
  needs using different assessment approaches?
• Do different assessment approaches lead to
  different service outcomes?

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
8

RESEARCH QUESTIONS (2)

• What is the range of possible efficiency gains
  arising from the implementation of these
  different approaches?
• What is the content and cost of the new
  approaches to assessment technology and how might
  they be sustained and developed?

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
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METHODS

• Devise a taxonomy of research strategies
• Agree with each local authority the research
  strategies to be used
• Develop data extraction tools in conjunction with
  local authorities to ensure best use is made of
  existing data collection systems to meet
  requirements of the research
• Collection of local data with and by authorities
  within an agreed timeframe
• Data analysis and report writing

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
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SELF ASSESSMENT TAXONOMY OF RESEARCH STRATEGIES
- AREAS OF ENQUIRY (1)

• Identifying those not requiring professional
  assessment within the screening process
• Contributing to the assessment process
• Facilitating direct access to service thereby
  distinguishing between professional and self
  assessment as the primary method of accessing
  services
• Contributing to planning care packages

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
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SELF ASSESSMENT TAXONOMY OF RESEARCH STRATEGIES
- AREAS OF ENQUIRY (2)

• Targeting self assessment on those likely to
  benefit most by comparing their characteristics
  with those receiving only professional
  assessments
• Generating a timely response to need
• Exploring feasibility of translating short term
  initiative into mainstream, sustainable method of
  service delivery

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester
12

RESEARCH - NEXT STEPS

• Agree liaison officer
• Visit local authorities to agree programme of
  work
• Explore capacity of local data collections
• Devise / modify data collection tools as
  appropriate

PSSRU Personal Social Services Research Unit at
the University of Manchester