Individual research recommendation details

Recommendation ID

NG150/1

Question

What is the effectiveness, cost effectiveness and acceptability of the whole family approach to carers' assessments?

Any explanatory notes
(if applicable)

Why the committee made the recommendations
Recommendations were drafted to complement the Care Act 2014, other associated care and support statutory guidance, and the Children and Families Act 2014. These set out legal duties for local authorities, or social care organisations delegated by local authorities, to arrange and carry out carers' assessments.
The evidence that underpinned the recommendations was of variable quality but it found that:
carers find out about carers' assessments from various sources, but still have trouble understanding the process and getting an assessment
a lack of coordination across multiple services (for example between hospitals and community services) is an obstacle to the assessment process
practitioners from teams across health and social care need to work together on carers' assessments, but they do not always have the relevant skills and training
properly conducted, a carer's assessment provides carers with psychosocial and emotional benefits and may be thought of as a therapeutic intervention in itself.
The evidence was most limited on collaborative working and on carers' assessments as a therapeutic intervention, so for these recommendations the committee supplemented the evidence with their own experience and expertise.
The committee thought it was important that carers feel that they have co-produced the assessment and that it reflects what is most important to them. They also agreed it was important that practitioners carrying out carers' assessments should have access to specialist advice, for example about particular aspects of care and treatment of the person they care for, because this might influence the support needs of the carer.
There was no evidence on whether using the lead professional approach or the whole family approach can make collaborative working easier and more effective. The committee agreed to make a research recommendation on the whole family approach to carers' assessments (see research recommendation 1).

How the recommendations might affect practice
The impact of the recommendations is likely to vary depending on how much local services already collaborate with each other and train their staff to take the initiative with assessments. Additional training or reviewing of service coordination may be needed in some areas, but because such assessments are statutory requirements, they should not introduce additional financial implications.
Full details of the evidence and the committee's discussion are in evidence review C: assessment of carers as defined by the Care Act 2014.

Source guidance details

Comes from guidance

Supporting adult carers

Number

NG150

Date issued

January 2020

Other details