Think you need help?

Assessment

To help us decide if we are able to offer you a service, you may need to have an assessment. An assessment involves you (the user) and a trained member of our staff. You may also want to involve someone who looks after you (your carer) or someone to speak for you. We may also need to get information from other people, for example, your GP or district nurse.

In your assessment, we will ask you a number of questions, such as:

• What do you think your needs are?
• What problems are you facing?
• What help do you have now?
• What sort of help do you think you need?
• How soon do you think you need help and why?

We will use this information to decide how we might be able to help.

The information you give us is confidential, and we will only share it with those people who need to know about your situation. We will always ask your permission before sharing that information.

If your needs are straightforward, the assessment will be straightforward too.

If your needs are more complicated, your assessment will be more detailed.

If necessary, in emergencies, we can arrange services to meet your needs while the full assessment is completed.

Specialist services may be commissioned from independent organisations outside the Council. These organisations are contracted to provide a social care service for adults, and we review and monitor their performance at regular intervals to ensure that standards are being met.

As an example, we do not offer a full counselling service in-house, but we can refer you to an appropriate external organisation if it is found that, as part of your assessment, such a service would help you.

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We want to help as many people as possible, but we have to make sure that our services go to those who need them most. This means that we have eligibility criteria and the outcome of the assessment may show that we are not able to offer you a service at the present time. However, if we cannot offer you a service, we may be able to help you with advice and information.

We promise that:

During your assessment:

• We will consider your views and wishes.
• You can have a friend, relative or someone else to help you or speak for you, if you wish.
• We will arrange for an interpreter if you do not speak English or if you use sign language.
• We will consider your carer's views.
• We will use a single assessment process to make sure that all the people involved in your assessment work together effectively.
• We will give you information about the services that are available and any charges involved.

After your assessment, we will:

• Provide you with a copy of your personalised care plan. We can also give a copy to your carer, if you give your permission.
• Translate your assessment into your preferred language or format.
• If we cannot offer you any services, we may be able to refer you on to the most appropriate agencies, if this is what you want.

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We will give you a copy of your care plan which will tell you:

• Which services you will get.
• Who will provide you with services.
• When and where the services will be provided.

Your carer

If your carer has asked for a separate assessment of their needs, we will arrange for them to be assessed too. This may result in a separate care plan for your carer.

What happens if you disagree with the assessment?

The assessment is voluntary and you can withdraw at any stage.

If you do not agree with the conclusions of the assessment, you can ask for the decisions to be reconsidered. You have the right to complain if you are dissatisfied with an assessment decision or the way in which the assessment has been done.

If you want to find out more, or request an assessment, please use the links from this page.

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Working with the health service

Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust (TPCT) offers a self-management course, free to any adult in Haringey with a long-term medical condition.

The Expert Patients Programme (EPP) offers training in the self-management of long-term health conditions such as diabetes, asthma, heart disease, back pain, sickle cell or any other long-term condition. Each course lasts for 6 weeks, 2.5 hours a week.

The EPP course provides opportunities for people with long-term health conditions to develop new skills to manage their condition better and have a better quality of life. It is facilitated by trained tutors who themselves have experience of living with a limiting long-term health problem. The groups of no more than 18 participants are relaxed and informal. The tutors encourage the sharing of skills and experience in the sessions. Participants set themselves simple ‘action plans’ to increase their confidence in working towards their goals.

See the External Links section at the foot of this page for a link to the TPCT's website.

Useful External Links

Ev lînkên li jêr parçeke cîtewna Belediya Haringeyê nînin.

Ji kerema xwe daxûyaniya me ya legal bixwînin beriya ku hun van lînkan bi kar tînin.

• Haringey Teaching Primary Care Trust self-management course

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