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Social services and the Single Assessment Process: early warning signs?

Following the publication of policy documents such as the NHS Plan and the National Service Framework for Older People, health and social care agencies in the UK have been charged with devising and implementing a Single Assessment Process by April 2004. Although service users and carers are often frustrated at having to give the same information to many different professionals, this paper cites research which raises significant doubts about the present capacity of social services departments to deliver on this government initiative. Based on telephone interviews with 25 local authorities, this paper describes the findings of research into the use of dependency measures in residential and nursing care. Although this research was conducted prior to the introduction of the Single Assessment Process, the study suggests that some local agencies may lack the expertise and skills to develop effective assessment tools/scales and that considerable Developmental work may be required to prepare organisations for April 2004.