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What is the Single Assessment Process?
Single Assessment is a process to help health and social care professionals work together to identify and deliver better services to adults and older people. It means that the needs of older people are considered without undue delay.
Guidance from the Department of Health states "the purpose of the single assessment process is to ensure that older people receive appropriate, effective and timely responses to their health and social care needs and that professional resources are used effectively".
The Single Assessment Process will ensure that professionals in Derbyshire work together to ensure that assessments and subsequent care plans for older people reflect their needs, are effective and well co-ordinated.
What are the benefits of the Single Assessment Process?
The new approach to assessment will be person-centred, outcome centred and standardised across the country.
There are five key points to remember:
- The scale and depth of assessment are kept in proportion to the older person needs.
- Professionals do not duplicate each others assessment
- Service users, carers and professionals contribute to assessments in the most effective way
- An integrated care plan is produced and shared with the older person
- Information is shared with those that need to know
What does the assessment process involve?
Professionals will work with older people to make sure that everyone contributes effectively and do not duplicate each other’s assessments.
The assessment will:
- concentrate on the needs of the older person
- consider their views and wishes
- focus on their strengths and abilities
- help them make the right choice
The assessment will take into account any support being provided by family members, relatives, friends and neighbours. Those people supporting individuals might wish to discuss the help they need in maintaining their support. A separate Carer’s Assessment might be appropriate.
Are there different levels of assessment?
The single assessment process will ensure that the scale and depth of the assessment is proportional to the needs; that agencies do not duplicate each other's assessments and professionals contribute to assessments in the most effective way.
To achieve that, there are four levels within the single assessment process. The assessments can be undertaken in any order depending on the needs of the client.
Contact Assessment - This is carried out when an older person first comes into contact with a service. At this stage basic personal information is collected, the nature of the presenting problem established and the potential presence of wider health and social care needs are explored.
Overview Assessment: This assessment incorporates additional information, such as previous medical history and social care needs. This will help clarify the problems and identify the services that may be needed. It may lead to a specialist assessment.
Specialist Assessment - A specialist assessment offers a way of exploring specific needs in one or more areas in greater depth. The professional who undertakes a specialist assessment will confirm the presence, extent, cause and likely development of a health condition or social care need and establish links to other needs. Therapists, specialist nurses, doctors, and social workers may carry this out.
Comprehensive Assessment - This means a variety of professionals will work together over a period of time to ensure that the package of care incorporates every aspect of the older person’s health and social care needs. It may include things such as housing, mental health services, equipment services, residential homes, domiciliary services, day care, or medical or surgical intervention.
What has already been done?
- A pilot with three sites has been undertaken in Ashbourne, Chesterfield and Derby.
- Each pilot site used EasyCare contact and overview assessments for older people entering into their service and shared information through an electronic recording solution Liquid Logic. EasyCare is an assessment tool developed by Sheffield University and accredited by the Department of Health.
- Each pilot project has been evaluated. Link to evaluation group
- An Information Sharing Protocol has been developed to support sharing of information (click to go to the Information Sharing Group)
- FACE documentation has been agreed to record Contact and Overview Assessments
- Person-held records have been agreed as the means of sharing information until an electronic SAP recording solution is available across the health and social care community. Link to IT group / person held records
- Consultation with older people continues to be undertaken.
- Protocols for joint working are finalised
- Mental Health Trust representatives are members of the Steering Board and implementation group and links with the Care Programme Approach are agreed
- Links have been made with housing colleagues to ensure they are active partners with an appropriate role within the Single Assessment Process
- A training strategy is being implemented to support staff at all levels of the community (click to go to staff development )
- Links have been made with neighbouring health and social care communities to ensure consistency of approach across the region where appropriate
- Local Implementation Teams have been established in each of the following areas:-
N E Derbyshire and Chesterfield
Amber Valley
Erewash
High Peak and Dales
Southern Derbyshire and Dales
Derby
How will the work be taken forward?
1. Local Implementation Teams will lead local practice change including:-
- Alerting staff and preparing staff to implement SAP
- Introducing Person Held Records by 1st October 2005
- Streamlining Specialist Assessments
2. An electronic SAP solution will be implemented across the county, overseen by an e-SAP project board, accountable to the joint Local Implementation Board covering Derbyshire and Derby.
3. The County SAP Steering Group will continue to oversee business and practice issues arising from implementation.
4. Short term task groups will be established as appropriate to support ongoing implementation.
How does the Single Assessment Process affect me?
Everyone involved with the assessment or provision of health and social care services for older people will be affected in some way - many will be involved in the very fundamental changes that are coming with the implementation of the Single Assessment Process.
You can do several things to help:
- Read up about the NSF and Single Assessment Guidelines. Both are available on the Department Of Health Websites or paper copies from the Department of Health. The links are:
http://www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/olderpeople/index.htm
http://www.doh.gov.uk/sap/index.htm
- Particularly read the sections on implications for the different types of professionals and older people i.e. social workers, nurses, GPs, Therapists, consultants and Old Age Psychiatrists.
- Read about the types and domains of assessment so you can get an idea of the meaning of terminology and what is being aimed for. These are available here
- If you are from Mental Health read about how the Care Programme Approach fits in with Single Assessment Process. This is available on: http://www.doh.gov.uk/sap/sapandcpa.htm
- Find out who your local representative is on the County Wide Implementation Group (update to new Steering Group)
- Explore the rest of this website to see what work has been undertaken, and what is still ongoing. Contact key people to discuss progress and issues of concern you may have.
Contact Information
To discuss any areas that are particularly significant to you contact Katey Twyford, the Single Assessment Process Planing & Project Manager for Derbyshire 01629 772065 or katey.twyford@derbyshire.gov.uk
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