www.wiltshire.gov.uk
Equality Impact Assessment - Care Management Process
1. What is the name of the policy or service that is being assessed?
Care Management Process
2. What are the aims of the policy or service? Whose needs is it designed to meet? What are the current priorities?
The Care Management Process is a framework for good practice in social care assessment, care planning and provision of services.
It ensures that current care management practice, procedures and systems are in line with national government initiatives and WCC Corporate objectives.
It links with the corporate aim to ‘remodel adult social care to align policies with available resources, giving priority to those at greatest risk and promoting independence and well being’. (Appendix to Corporate Plan – July, 2006)
It is designed to meet the social care needs of and …’enable older people and people with disabilities to live independently and lead full lives in their communities (Corporate Goal 9)
Current priorities include ensuring that assessment is person-centred and appropriate, that ‘those at greatest risk’ are able to access assessment whilst those not eligible for services are signposted to other sources of help. Also, that our social care practitioners are informed of current best practice in assessment via information posted on the website and Care Management training programmes.
3. In what ways might this policy or service affect some groups of people differently? Might some groups find it harder to access the service? Do some groups have particular needs that are not well met by the current policy or service?
Access to assessment should be available to all adults and people with disabilities as everyone has a right to an assessment of their social care needs. Our assessment processes do not discriminate in terms of a person’s age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, culture or religion and ethnic monitoring is performed as standard practice on assessment documentation.
Some hard to reach groups may find it more difficult to access the assessment process:
- older and disabled people from black or ethnic minority groups whose first language may not be English,
- carers from black and ethnic minority groups
In the current climate of restrictions in the number of care packages that can be provided, and tightening of eligibility criteria, some people may find that their needs have to met elsewhere in the community. The Social Care Helpdesk has been set up to address this and offers an information, advice and signposting service to help and support this group of people.
4. What evidence do you have for your judgement? Is there evidence of public concern (e.g. complaints)? Have staff raised concerns? Is there local or national research to suggest that there could be a problem?
The DACS 06 project focused on the restructure of the Department of Adult & Community Services and how it would remodel and deliver social care services in the future. The aim is that by 2009, the Department would shift by 1.5% per annum the balance of resources from direct service provision to preventative services which promote independence in the home. (Appendix to Corporate Plan – July 2006).
Work commissioned from the Wiltshire Racial Equality Council in 2002 indicates that carers from black and ethnic minorities do not know what information or services are available or how to get it. They do not understand the procedures for referral and assessment.
DACS PI’s Ethnicity of older people receiving assessment indicates the 2005/06 Outturn as 0.75 against a 2006/07 target of 1 and Ethnicity of older people receiving services following an assessment on a ratio of 0.82:1.
5. Who have you consulted with as part of your assessment? What were the results? Have you published the results of that consultation? If so, where?
A review of Care Management was undertaken in 2003/04 to look at current practice, procedures and systems. Consultation with practitioners across all staff groups established a lack of standardised care management procedures across the county.
A County Care management Review Group was established to consult on guidance and procedures. The Wiltshire & Swindon Users’ Network were involved in consultation.
This resulted in comprehensive Care Management Procedures information posted onto WCC Intranet which included practice standards, Legislation, Principles, Policies.
Training for practitioners set up in Care Management focusing on person-centred care.
6. If you have found that the policy or service might have an adverse impact on a particular group of people, can you justify this?
Care Management Procedures and Training aim to inform practitioners of good practice in assessment, i.e., values, procedures and skills for assessing service users’ and carers’ needs toward ensuring people are not discriminated against. However, more work needs to be done to address the issue of access to assessment and information about services for black & ethnic minority groups (see 4 above)
7. If the impact cannot be justified, what do you intend to do about this? Are there changes that you could introduce which would make the policy or service work better for this group of people? Is further research or consultation required?
Investigate how older people and carers from black, ethnic minority groups access information about WCC services and assessment
Improve the style and content of information provided about services and assessment and look into ways of making information more accessible to a wider and diverse group of people.
8. How will you monitor the take-up or impact of the policy or service in future?
Our Performance Management Processes enable us to monitor and assess numbers of enquiries resulting in advice, information & signposting as well as access to assessment and provision of services to all groups, including black & ethnic minorities.
9. What actions do you plan to take as a result of this equality impact assessment? Please state any resource implications.
Work with the Social Care Helpdesk to investigate how older people and carers from black, ethnic minority groups access information about WCC services and assessment
Improve the quality, range and accessibility of information on Care Management Procedures, assessment and community services
Monitor and review practitioners’ access to and take up of training in Care Management including links to Equality & Diversity.
10. There is a legal requirement to publish the outcomes of Equality Impact Assessments. Please outline how / where this will happen.
To be published on the WCC web-site.
11. Name of person completing form
Planning & Development Manager
Date assessment completed
9 October, 2006
12. Senior manager approval
Interim Assistant Director (Strategy & Commissioning
Date:
12/10/06
Contact Details
By Post
Equality & Diversity Team
Development Services
Wiltshire County Council
County Hall
Bythesea Road
Trowbridge
Wiltshire
BA14 8JN
By Email
By Telephone
01225 713510
By Hand
County Hall, Trowbridge
Opening Hours
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
