Assessment of Older People's Health and Social Care Needs and ...

Information and Assessment' ..Structuring Information for SharingThere are questions to ask when we are structuring information for sharing such as: How easy is it toshare information if it is held by us or by others? What information is yet to be collected? Who needsto do this?We also need to distinguish between information-gathering and assessment. Some of the basicinformation that is needed in the Single Assessment Process can be provided by the patient, forexample using a patient questionnaire, or it can be gathered by an individual with clerical skills.However, as you move up the scale, you need skilled assessors to conduct clinical interviews anddevise a Care Plan for the patient.In structuring information, we need to:• code for sharing, bearing in mind concerns about confidentiality and security• ensure that information is accurate, current and completeensure that all staff be involved in improving the quality of information and that again involvestrainingif information is properly structured, one of the benefits is that we can audit what we are doingand it gives us a common basis for morbidity data and other uses.Information SetsWhat we have tried to do with the Single Assessment Process is not to define the multiplicity of toolsthat might be used, but to have a common starting point with contact assessment and a commonending point with the outputs of assessment which are the information sets. The information sets areas follows:basic personal data, standardised with common content and format if possible• patient needs and health status, that is assessed needs, medication and linked diagnoses andother relevant medical conditions• a summary of the Care Plan, with care aims linked to needs and services to be providedidentified.Assessment of Older People's Health and Social Care Needs and Preferences