Health and Social Care teams across Cornwall, Devon, Plymouth and Torbay are using the Single Assessment Process (SAP). Its use will become more widespread.

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• What is the Single Assessment Process?
• Where did the SAP come from?
• How will the Single Assessment Process affect you?
• What does the SAP involve?
• SAP - the different types of Assessment
• Who can carry out your assessments?

What is the Single Assessment Process (SAP)?

The SAP is a new way of providing assessments for adults with health and / or social care needs.

It involves health and social care organisations working closely together with you to make sure you receive the right care or services at the right time.

With your permission, your assessment information will be shared with other professionals who will be involved in providing care or services for you.

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Where did the SAP come from?

The SAP came from the Department of Health’s National Service Framework for Older People. This took a fresh look at the needs of older people and how their care should be delivered. In Devon and Cornwall many other adults will benefit from the SAP as well as older people.

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How will the Single Assessment Process affect you?

Through the SAP we will aim to:

• listen to your views and wishes, making them the central part of the assessment process
• make sure you are given copies of your Care Plan
• make sure you only have to give us your personal details once, so that different professionals and organisations do not ask you for the same information
• ask your consent to share information when it would help us to arrange the right care and services at the right time for you.

SAP Factsheet  FS68 Single Assessment Process (39KB - pdf help)

For printing, the pdf version of the Factsheet will suit most people. We have also included a leaflet version to read online, below.

SAP Information leaflet (143KB - pdf help)

SWP SAP6 Consent form (128KB - pdf help)

For more information on how we use and protect information about you, please see the Devon County Council information on the Data Protection Act.

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What does the SAP involve?

Assessment means collecting information about you to help us understand more about your needs and circumstances and identify how these affect your independence, daily living and quality of life. We can then plan appropriate action with you.

In a good assessment, your views and wishes will be a priority. The assessment will identify not only your needs but also your strengths and abilities. You will be directly involved in the decisions about your care.

In the SAP there are different types of assessment (see following section), and health and social care staff should ensure you receive the right level and type of assessment to suit you.

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Single Assessment Process (SAP) - the different types of Assessment

• The Background Information and Contact Assessment
  This is carried out when you first come into contact with a service. It is used to collect basic information, for example, your name, address, doctor. It also identifies if a further assessment of your situation is needed.
  
  
• The Overview Assessment
  This assessment looks at different aspects of your health and daily life. It helps us understand what problems and difficulties you may be experiencing and how we can support and provide you with appropriate health or social care services.
  
  Before you begin your Overview Assessment you may be given a Personal Overview of Your Needs’ form, which gives you the opportunity to make notes about what you would like to discuss during your assessment.
  
  
• Specialist Assessments
  Carried out by an appropriate specialist (for example, an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, nurse) this will look at any problems or difficulties you have which may need a specialist service. An example of this is the Health Needs assessment.
  
  
• A Comprehensive Process
  Health or social care professionals will work together over a period of time to make sure that your care package meets all your health and social care needs. There is no single separate tool - the comprehensive process is a collection of the contact, overview and specialist assessments and the Care Plan
  
  
• Care Plan
  Once your needs have been assessed; if services and/or treatment are required, a care plan (summary of your needs) will be drawn up jointly with you to outline what these services are and who will be providing them including a diary sheet.
  
  
• Review Form
  When a care plan is in place, you should be advised as to when this will be reviewed. This may be carried out by a telephone or face-to-face interview, or you may be asked to complete a short questionnaire.
  
  
• Requests for changes to service or treatment/comments
  At any time, if you wish to comment on the services or treatment you are receiving, either because you are dissatisfied or you wish to change your services or treatment, please contact the named person on your care plan.
  
  
• Complaints
  If you wish to make a formal complaint about the Single Assessment Process or the services/treatment you are receiving, and you would prefer not to contact the named person on your care plan please call your local Patient Advisory Service (PALS) or your local Social Services office - numbers listed in the information leaflet.

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Who can carry out your assessments?

You can! The initial Contact assessment form may be started by you - with or without help from your carer, a relative or a member of staff. In this case staff will always explain the purpose of the assessment before you start to write anything. They will go over with you what you have written before completing the assessment with you and agreeing what should happen next.

Health and social care staff may also complete the Contact Assessment but even then you should expect to be fully involved and have your views about your situation taken into account.

You can also contribute to your 'Overview Assessment' by completing a Personal View of Needs (70KB - pdf help) form, which gives you the opportunity to make notes about what you would like to discuss during your assessment.

Health or social care staff (for example, nurse, social worker, occupational therapist) trained to use the Single Assessment Process will carry out other parts of the SAP with you.

For South West Peninsula health and social care staff, there is a full set of SWP face tools in PDF and Word Template versions, policy implementation guidelines, newsletters etc.

Information for South West Peninsula Health & Social Care Staff

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See also:

• Fair Access to Care Services (FACS)
• National SAP website (Department of Health)
• Medicines website (Department of Health)
• Centre for Policy on Ageing
• FACE