Meeting the Needs of Individuals PLANNING CARE FOR THE NEEDS OF THE INDIVIDUAL

Care Planning Exercises Care workers work in teams to ensure the best care for their clients. A vast range of skills may exist among the workers (e.g. medical treatment, nursing care, occupational therapy etc) but the aim of the whole team is the same, namely to: Assess the individual’s care needs Develop a care plan which includes treatment, support or therapy to meet the individual’s specific needs

CARE PLANNING Individual care is an important feature of care practice today. It’s much better than the old method of working when care focussed on tasks. Care planning is critical in order to ensure the best standard of care for the individual. Care workers are trained to follow a care planning cycle as a means of developing and providing individual care for their clients.

CARE PLANNING It is a recurring process, i.e. each step leads to the next and the planning may go through several assessment, planning, monitoring and evaluation cycles depending on whether the physical, mental or social situation of the individual in question improves or worsens.

CARE PLANNING Reasons for care planning: An effective means of identifying the client’s needs and wishes A means of targeting and prioritising needs Improving the consistency of care Helping the team to work together towards the same goal Monitoring and evaluating the plan ensures that the care remains effective and suitable for the particular client

ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS This is the first step in creating a care plan If the individual’s needs are complex or numerous, many assessments may be made by various professionals. For example, in order to support and care for an elderly person who lives in his own home, a community nurse, a social worker and an occupational therapist may be required to make an assessment.

ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS Although these carers will make an integrated assessment, each will have a slightly different emphasis. The differences will reflect their priorities and professional skills. But a multi-disciplinary approach such as this will lead to a detailed assessment of the individual’s needs.

ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS An assessment follows the same pattern each time Deciding where the best place for making the assessment would be Ensuring that the client understands the expectations Ensuring that the client takes part in the process Creating a good relationship between the worker and the client Assessing the client’s needs Agreeing the care objectives Formulating a written report

ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS The assessment is made by: Talking and listening to the client and his informal carer Letting them know which services are available Observing the client undertaking a number of tasks Making a note of observations Discussing which services are needed Writing a report on the result of the assessment

ASSESSMENT OF NEEDS Information concerning ‘THE INDIVIDUAL’ is provided through a variety of sources: Observations by the care worker Previous assessments and tests Records and reports on his previous care Family and friends

Care Planning The second step in the care planning cycle is the planning itself. The information gathered from the assessment of individual needs is used to produce an individual care plan which should: Identify the individual’s specific needs Set aims and objectives which the care worker should aim to achieve by providing care Identify the type of care needed and how it will be provided in order to meet the individual’s specific needs

Implementing the Care This is the step where the care which has been planned is implemented and its effect on the individual monitored. During monitoring, any change in the condition or needs of the individual should be recorded in his care plan notes. This information is required so that the plan may be evaluated in the next step.

Evaluating the Care This is the final step in the cycle. It means that the team has to decide whether the aim of the care has been met and whether the plan continues to be suitable for the individual. If the needs have changed, another assessment may be required. If the plan does not work, it will have to be amended. A care plan should be evaluated regularly to ensure that it continues to be relevant to the needs of the individual.

Evaluating the Care Has the care plan achieved its aim? Was the care which has been provided effective? Were the carers effective? Does the individual believe that there has been any improvement? Do all the carers see an improvment? Have the needs of the individual changed?

THE CLIENT Including the individual in his own care Since the client is the focus of the care plan, it is a good thing to include him in the planning from the outset and to begin finding ways of keeping him involved in the process.

Care Planning ASSESSMENT Enquiring about needs and problems Recording relevant history PLANNING Discussing aim and treatment Agreeing the care IMPLEMENTING Supporting personal care Helping to implement the care

Care Planning MONITORING Enquiring about improvements Discussing any necessary changes to the plan EVALUATING Gathering feedback regarding the care Discussing new and necessary aims The client should be included in the whole process – if possible

Discussing with the Client Discussing with the client is the secret. It provides a way of identifying the individual’s wishes and securing his permission perhaps to implement care which could be very personal. It is also an opportunity to encourage the individual to be autonomic. Including the client in the process improves the chances of the care being successful. Feedback from the client is necessary when evaluating the care in order to ensure that further care will still meet the needs of the individual:

Informal Assistance Informal assistance is given by people who are not paid for doing so; they are mostly untrained. They are generally people whom the client knows and trusts. The following are examples of informal carers: CLOSE FAMILY THE EXTENDED FAMILY NEIGHBOURS FRIENDS FAITH GROUPS INFORMAL NETWORKS e.g. SELF HELP GROUPS

Carers (Recognition and Services Act) 1995 The Carers (Recognition and Services) Act 1995 acknowledges the importance of the work of informal carers in the community and seeks to defend them. It allows them to be assessed apart from the people in their care. The local authority must provide an assessment if the informal carer asks for one, and sometimes these are offered without a request being made.