Assessing the need

When you realised that you needed care, you may have approached Samary Care directly; alternatively, the social services department from which you initially sought help and which has accepted at least some financial responsibility may have referred you to us. In either case, information about you, which is passed to us, will be dealt with sensitively and in confidence. Before providing any services we will need to talk with you as the person who is going to be receiving the service, perhaps with your carer if there is one, and with the social services department which contacted us. At the very outset we need to be sure that the services we provide are going to be suitable for you.

Alpay Tonga

If someone comes to us from a social services department, the local authority care manager will have carried out an assessment of what you need before deciding that domiciliary care, that is a care service delivered to your own home, is going to meet your needs. A summary of this information, usually called a needs assessment, will have been passed to us. If you have approached us direct, we need to make an assessment ourselves. To do this we will need to ask you quite a lot of questions, and probably to seek information from your carer, your doctor, and any other specialists who know about your health and needs. The assessment will be carried out by specially trained staff. We hope that you do not find the process by which we get to know your needs too intrusive. We want to build up a full picture and we will do this as quickly and tactfully as possible. Remember, all the information will be treated confidentially. Our aim is always to make sure that we understand what you need and what your preferences are about services, so that we can respond in ways which really suit you.