The Minimum Standards for Assessments and Care Planning

Adult and Community Services – Devon - 29.1.07 edit  
Paul Grimsey, Policy Manager -

These standards are essential for all good Assessments and Care Plans.  

They have been developed to be consistent with the following documents, which describe the processes and principles of Assessment and Care Planning in Devon:

• SAP Policy and Guidance
• Care Programme Approach (Mental Health)
• Assessment and Care Pathway Policy
• ESCR Business Process Guidance
• Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) Guidance
• FACS Eligibility Criteria Checklist
• Matching Needs and Services Guidance
• The Practice Quality Checklist  

Standards

Assessments and Care Plans must be accurate, concise, clear, up to date, and consistent with the Recording Policy Practice Requirements.

All Assessments must;

1.  Be of a level and type of detail that is appropriate to the person’s situation and sufficient to make the required decisions and plans.

2.  Use language that is user/carer focused & free from ‘jargon’

3.  Focus on the risks to independence, safety and health arising from the individual’s needs, as defined in the Fair Access to Care Services Eligibility Criteria Checklist.

4.   Record users views.

5.   Record carers views, where there are carers.

6.   Be clear about where information has come from

7.   Be clear about what is fact and what is opinion

8.   Show that a Direct Payment has been offered if there is eligibility for a service.

9.   Show that a carers assessment has been offered

10.  Recognise the strengths and abilities of service users and carers.

11.  Show that service users and carers have been given any relevant information
about other sources of help and support that may meet their needs or promote their wellbeing.

A Care Plan must;-

1.   Be easy to understand and clear about the reasons for each aspect of the plan.

2.   Be focussed on the eligible risks to independence, safety and health identified in the assessment and as defined in the Fair Access to Care Services Eligibility Criteria Checklist,

3.   Build on the strengths of service users and carers and support them in playing as full a role as possible in meeting their needs.

4.   Ensure that all the services to be arranged, are designed to efficiently and effectively reduce the FACS eligible risks identified in the assessment.

5.   Show that the services and actions that have been included in the Care Plan have been agreed by the service user or advocate.