Assistive technology | The equipment, appliances and devices,
usually electronic - such as smoke
detectors - that assist people to live at
home. |
Best Value | The performance regime for all local
government services, including social work
services. Councils must review all their
services over a 5 year period, and seek
continuous improvement in services. BV
covers 5 aspects of performance - national
priorities and strategic objectives, cost
and efficiency, effectiveness of service
delivery and outcomes, quality of services
for users and carers, and fair access. |
Care management | A process whereby an individual's needs
are assessed and evaluated, eligibility for
service is determined, care plans are
drafted and implemented, services are
provided and needs are monitored and
re-assessed. The individual will usually
have complex or frequently or rapidly
changing needs. |
Care manager | A member of staff who, as part of their
role, undertakes care management. |
Care package | A combination of services designed to
meet a person's assessed needs. Also
called package of care. |
Care planning | Care planning is a process of assessing
an individual's needs, by agreeing the
level and type of support to meet those
needs and the objectives and outcomes that
can be achieved. |
Carer | A carer is someone who, without payment,
provides help and support to a relative,
friend, or neighbour, who could not manage
to stay at home without their help. |
Clinical governance | A framework through which NHS
organisations are accountable for
continuously improving the quality of their
services and safeguarding high standards of
care, by creating an environment in which
excellence in clinical care will
improve. |
Clinicians | Qualified NHS healthcare professionals,
including doctors, nurses, and the allied
health professions e.g. dieticians,
podiatrists (chiropodists), occupational
therapists, physiotherapists and speech and
language therapists |
Commissioning | The process of planning, paying for,
implementing and monitoring services to
meet identified needs. Commissioning is
widely used to describe the strategic,
long-term process as opposed to the short
term, care purchasing process for
individuals and their carers. |
Community Care | The provision of services and support
for people who are affected by problems of
ageing, dementia, mental illness, learning
disability, physical or sensory disability,
progressive illnesses, or problems arising
from misuse of drugs or alcohol, to enable
them to live as independently as possible
in their own homes, or in domestic settings
in the community. |
Consultation | Asking people what they think, and
listening to their response. |
Equipment and
adaptations | A collective term for a range of
products and changes to the fabric of a
building that help people of all ages to
carry out ordinary activities of daily life
that have become difficult or impossible
due to impairment, ill health, traumatic
injury, the effects of ageing or a change
in circumstances. |
Home care | Tends to be used to refer to services
previously known as 'home help' services.
Is one kind of domiciliary service. |
Housing support | Services, often funded through the
'Supporting People' agenda, to help people
stay in their own home by helping them to
maintain their tenancy or to look after
their property. |
Independent sector | Includes both private and voluntary
organisations which provide health, housing
and/or social care services. |
Joint service | A joint service is one that is delivered
to people and their carers which involves
joint decision-making over at least one of
the following aspects: service design,
commissioning, delivery or performance
management. |
Multi-professional
working | When a range of staff from different
professional backgrounds work together in a
common purpose |
Performance Assessment Frameworks (PAFs) | They are designed to give a general
picture of NHS, housing and/or social care
services performance. |
Performance
indicators/measures | Provide a way of comparing performance:
over time, within and between similar
organisations (for example NHS Boards or
councils), or sometimes between different
services. |
Primary care | Health services provided in the
community by family doctors, dentists,
pharmacists, optometrists together with
district nurses and health visitors. May
include physiotherapists and NHS
occupational therapists. |
Rapid response service | A service designed to prevent avoidable
admission to hospital or care home, or to
support return home, by providing a
combination of speedy assessment of need
and access to services, including nursing
care, therapy, and community care
services. |
Rehabilitation | A process which enables people to regain
partial or full independence after illness
or injury, giving them back as much control
as possible over their lives. |
Service providers | A person, group or organisation, or
designated parts of organisation, that
provides health, housing or social care
services. |
Social care or social care services | A broad term covering the wide spectrum
of activities and services which support
and help people live their daily lives,
e.g. social work and/or day care and care
at home. These are provided by both
statutory and independent
organisations. |
Social work | A professional discipline, underpinned
by legal requirements. |
Social work services | The provision of a council's statutory
social and child care requirements. |