Refusal of care: when it’s not so simple

Today I want to talk about an issue that I have come across regularly in practice: individuals who are refusing care. The reason I am talking about this is that I have seen this concept misused by public authorities when this is convenient for them. I have a case at the moment where this isContinue reading “Refusal of care: when it’s not so simple”

Education and social care crossover: transport

One of the many niche areas I have built up over the course of my career is the overlap between education and social care. For a period of 18 months or so, I ran a mixed social care and education case load, and I was called in to advise on a few overlap cases afterContinue reading “Education and social care crossover: transport”

The great care plan conundrum

Most people in this field will have heard of a care plan, support plan or care and support plan. They are a key document in the whole system that serve a number of different purposes. Yet there is one big problem, the elephant in the room that not many people outwardly acknowledge: most care plansContinue reading “The great care plan conundrum”

Worcestershire revisited

I have written before about how ordinary residence is to be determined, in cases where an individual is admitted to hospital under section 3 Mental Health Act 1983 whilst already in receipt of s117 aftercare. My previous post summarised the legal position following the High Court’s decision in the Worcestershire case. At that point, anContinue reading “Worcestershire revisited”

The transformation of social care

I wanted to take some time to talk about the government’s announcement in relation to future social care funding. I am going to try very hard to put my political views to one side here, and just give you a breakdown of what was announced, and what this means for social care in England. TheContinue reading “The transformation of social care”

Care Act assessment: part 4 the write-up

This is the final post in my series about Care Act needs assessments. So far we have looked at the actions to be taken at first contact with an individual, the eligibility criteria and the need for the process to be person-centred, appropriate and proportionate. This last post will explore one of my favourite topics:Continue reading “Care Act assessment: part 4 the write-up”

Care Act assessment: part 3 tailored assessments

This is the third post in my series about Care Act assessments of need. The first post explored the issues to be considered at the beginning of the assessment, and the second post talked through the eligibility criteria. This post will discuss how authorities tailor their assessment process to the individual being assessed. The careContinue reading “Care Act assessment: part 3 tailored assessments”

Care Act assessment: part 2 the criteria

This is the second post in my series on Care Act needs assessments. You can read the first part here. That post discussed the start of the process, and issues practitioners have to be mindful of at that stage. This post explores the eligibility criteria against which assessments must be conducted. These criteria are setContinue reading “Care Act assessment: part 2 the criteria”

Care Act assessment: part 1 first contact

I was shocked recently to discover how few resources my local authority had been able to access about Care Act assessments. Undertaking this work is so vital to the roles that local authorities fulfill, yet targeted training has, for us at least, been quite difficult to source. So I am sticking my oar in, soContinue reading “Care Act assessment: part 1 first contact”

Supporting hospital discharge: Discharge to Assess part 2

So a while ago, I said I would do another post on the Discharge to Assess operating model, focussing on the detail, after my last post looked at the broad principles. It has taken me some time to do for a few reasons. Firstly, because I am expecting revised guidance as the emergency covid fundingContinue reading “Supporting hospital discharge: Discharge to Assess part 2”