Local authorities have a duty to assess a person’s needs.
A care manager or social worker will normally provide an initial ‘assessment of need’. This is the starting point and should give enough information to begin providing support to the person.
Some organisations use paper versions of care plans.
This is not a problem as long as they are in good condition, up to date, accessible and fit for purpose. If you do a search on the internet for UK care plan, you will find lots of examples.
As we mentioned in Lesson 2, information about each individual’s needs must be gathered.
It is important that the individual themselves is involved as much as possible in this assessment of needs process. The intention is for them to be empowered to communicate their wishes, by whichever means is possible for them.
It is important to take a person-centred approach.
This means different information may be found in different people’s care plans. It is up to you to familiarise yourself with every care plan for each individual you work with. This means you will need to be flexibile and proactive.
Another important component of a care plan is to make sure that the information being held complies with current legislation.
It is great to have information recorded, but it is also important to make sure that the information remains relevant and accurate.
Any documentation about an individual should be reviewed in line with your local policies and procedures. These should also take account of any changing circumstances, for example, if someone has a fall.
