Care Assessment Process

Please provide us with a response to the following questions:   

  1. Do you have management information about the criteria, process, and administration of the care assessment process (including financial assessments) in Devon that you can share with us?

 Please see the information about assessments for social care on the link:

Adult social care and health assessments for care

 2.Has there been any change made in the criteria regarding eligibility for funded care hours? 

No 

3. Has there been any change in the care assessment process (including financial assessments) in the last 3 years?

 The care assessment process has been changed to reflect the Care Act requirements.

 4. Can you provide us with the total number of funded care hours in each of the following years;

 These figures relate to the number of domiciliary care hours purchased and relate to financial years.

  1. 2014/ 15    1,995,044
  2. 2015 /16    2,017,923
  3. 2016 /17     2,080,932

 5. How many instances of feedback, concerns or complaints have been recorded by Devon County Council that relate to care assessments?

 Information is recorded per issue rather than per complaint

Complaint issues that relate to care assessments

2014 – 114

2015 – 83

2016 – 128

Representations:

2014 – 12

2015 – 20

2016 – 13

MP/Cllr Enquiries:

2014 – 26

2015 – 35

2016 – 23

 6. Are there any emerging themes from the feedback that people have shared with DCC in relation to the care assessment process?

This response is focussed on complaints received in 2015 & 2016 only as some of the information was recorded differently in 2014.

The top 3 issues raised in relation to complaints relating to assessments in 2015 were:

Poor communication (to customer) 15
Delay in providing service 9
Inappropriate action or service 8
Attitude/rudeness/inappropriate comments 8

The top 3 issues raised in relation to complaints relating to assessments in 2016 were:

Delay in providing service 20
Poor communication (to customer) 19
Attitude/rudeness/inappropriate comments 15

A key issue that remains prevalent is communication to the customer, featuring highly in both years in relation to assessment complaints.

In addition, the perceived poor attitude/rudeness/inappropriate comments of staff, along with a delay in providing a service (in this case assessment) stay in the top issues between the years. These are therefore not emerging themes, but themes that remain constant.