What will this presentation do

1
What will this presentation do?

• Explain what Single Assessment Process is and
  where it comes from
• Explain how Single Assessment will improve older
  peoples services and
• support person centered care
• Outline the implications of Single Assessment for
  staff
• You may hear Single Assessment referred to as SAP
  by other professionals
• (Please note that this presentation is designed
  to raise awareness of Single Assessment more
  detailed training will follow for staff as
  appropriate.)

2
Single Assessment Where did it come from?

• Outlined in the NHS Plan July 2000
• Explained in Standard 2 from the National Service
  Framework for Older People March 2001
• Single Assessment also contributes to all other
  standards in the NSF for Older People
• This guidance is directed at all statutory
  agencies responsible for health and social care

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What is Single Assessment?

• An ongoing assessment process with the continual
  input of different professionals to gradually
  build up a picture of the older person.
• There are 4 levels of assessment (see next
  slides)
• Contact
• Overview
• Specialist
• Comprehensive
• An Assessment summary will be given to the older
  person with details of basic personal
  information, needs and health and summary of the
  integrated care plan.

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Single Assessment

• Contact Assessment (Generic)
• Contains basic personal information and present
  difficulties
• Completed by any member of staff who has received
  training e.g. receptionists, auxiliary nurses,
  customer service officers
• Organisations could choose to use this as a
  method of referral
• Explores wider health and social care needs and
  triggers the need to complete an Overview
  Assessment

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Single Assessment

• Overview (Generic)
• Individual completing this has the contact
  assessment which they then add to by going into
  more detail over several areas
• Produces a more complete picture of an older
  person
• Identifies risks and triggers the need for
  specialist assessment
• Includes information on providers / agencies
• Can be completed at any time - may be prompted by
  the triggers in the Contact Assessment or a
  professional involved with the older person may
  decide to complete the Overview at a later date.

6
Single Assessment

• Specialist (Specific)
• Individual completing this has the contact and
  overview assessments which they then add to by a
  specialist assessment
• Difficulties identified for the older person
  through the contact and overview assessments are
  assessed in more detail.
• Involves the use of current specialist tools /
  scales / measures
• Examples of specialist assessments could include
  nursing, mental heath, social care, housing,
  occupational therapy, physiotherapy

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Single Assessment

• Comprehensive
• Occurs where several specialist assessments are
  needed
• Coordinated by most relevant professional as
  decided by the multi-disciplinary team, this
  professional would hold all assessment
  information
• Level of support is intensive and prolonged,
  possibly involving the role of a Consultant in
  Medicine for the Elderly
• Appropriate for older people with complex needs
  at risk of loosing independence risk of
  admission to residential/nursing home care
• A complex package of care is identified e.g. care
  home, intermediate care

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Single Assessment the foundation for supporting
person centred care
Person centred care
Person centred care
Person centred care
Person centred care
Single Assessment
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Person Centred Care is about older people.

• Telling the story of their problems once
• Remaining in control of their own life
• Feeling respected
• Being treated as a person in their own right
• Keeping independent for as long as they can
• Remaining in their own home
• Having one point of contact for their care
• (This is what older people have told us that they
  want from their care)

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How can Single Assessment contribute to this
ideal for person centred care?

• Provides
• A method of storing and sharing basic information
  about the older person so the older person is not
  constantly repeating themselves.
• Support to different professional groups working
  closely together as a team and identifies the
  most appropriate professional to take the lead in
  the care dependant on the older persons needs
• A method of assessment that puts the older person
  in the centre (and keeps them in control)
• Records that can be shared across different
  professional groups and organisations, speeding
  up the provision of equipment and services to
  promote independence
• Assessment criteria that provides a complete
  picture of the whole person to address the
  multifaceted nature of health social well being
• Support for professional practice/judgement

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Single Assessment what does assessment look
like now?
Staff want to improve services for older people
and achieve person centred care

• BUT
• Systems, paperwork, computer records all vary
  across the country (although there is a long term
  plan to enable all parts of the country to be
  able to share computerised information)
• The systems and paperwork will need to be
  continually tweaked so they support and
  facilitate person centred care and make it easier
  for various professionals to work more closely
  together.

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Some of the work done so far in Single Assessment

• Confidentiality and Information sharing protocols
  are being developed
• Small groups of staff are piloting Single
  Assessment documentation and methods of sharing
  information with colleagues. eg District Nurses
  and Social Workers, Intermediate Care teams,
  acute wards, GP Practices,
• The national computer programme for health will
  produce assessment records that are compliant
  with Single Assessment and easy to share across
  disciplines and organisations.
• Current Assessment Documentation both paper and
  electronic is gradually being updated to be
  Single Assessment compliant by covering the
  necessary areas.

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Some of the work done so far in Single Assessment

• Eleven shared values have been agreed across
  Cumbria and Lancashire
• Respect and promote the autonomy of the
  individual
• All service provision to be seen by the user as a
  single package of care
• Informed consent is needed for every element of
  the care package
• Age (of itself) should not determine how services
  are accessed or provided
• If an individual lacks capacity to make
  decisions, agencies to have procedures for
  maximum participation and safeguarding the older
  persons interests.

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Some of the work done so far in Single Assessment

• Eleven shared values have been agreed across
  Cumbria and Lancashire (continued)
• SAP should promote health and well being and
  optimise independence
• Service information should be understandable and
  accessible
• Professionals should be competent to work with
  older people and should be active in Continuing
  Professional Development.
• Care workers will promote and maintain good
  practice and adhere to legal requirements and
  relevant standards of practice.
• Communication will be open and straightforward
• A holistic approach to assessment will
  incorporate the whole picture of individual needs

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What will Single Assessment mean for me?
Generally be ready for the introduction of new
assessments that will comply with Single
Assessment.

• Eventually when the computer system has been
  completed - all staff will record their
  assessment information on one set of records that
  health and social care professionals will access
  for the elements relevant to them
• Already staff working in multidisciplinary teams
  are working towards shared records that promote
  person centred care and comply with Single
  Assessment requirements (see website at the end
  of this presentation)
• All staff working in health or social care will
  contribute to their team in looking at ways of
  smoothing the older persons pathway through an
  area by adapting referrals into and out of your
  area to comply with Single Assessment guidelines

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Single Assessment

• If you want to know more then you can
• Request your manager to provide the presentation
  detailing progress in implementing Single
  Assessment in your area
• Speak to your manager about a member of your team
  contacting one of the areas where Single
  Assessment has been implemented.
• (They will have received contact details with
  this pack)
• Also visit the Department of Health Website
• www.dh.gov.uk

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• Thought to end with!

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Every month we spend improving services for
older people. is a month closer to using the
services ourselves!