IMPLEMENTING THE CARE PROGRAMME APPROACH

RESULTS OF A JOINT SURVEY BY THE SOCIAL WORK SERVICES INSPECTORATE  AND THE ACCOUNTS COMMISSION

Foreword and Covering Letter

Chief Executives, Local Authorities
Directors of Social Work/Chief Social Work Officers
Directors of Housing
General Managers, Health Boards
Chief Executives, NHS Trusts
General Manager, State Hospital’s Board for Scotland
The Accounts Commission
Other Appropriate Professional and Voluntary Organisations

23 November 1998

Dear Colleague

You will find enclosed a report of a survey of the Care Programme Approach (CPA) undertaken jointly by SWSI and the Accounts Commission last year which highlights important issues in the development of the CPA in Scotland.

Whilst some areas of Scotland have made good progress, other areas need to improve important aspects of their service delivery. The CPA must be fully implemented in all areas of Scotland, otherwise the support arrangements for people with severe and enduring mental health problems and complex social care needs may fail. Action is required now to ensure that all areas comply with the following:

• greater involvement of people who use the services and their carers;

• compatibility between health and social care systems;

• clarity about the responsibilities of agencies;

• better administrative support;

• improved use of data collected on the needs and characteristics of people on the CPA; and

• more attention paid to multidisciplinary training and development.

In order to secure these improvements the joint management group for each area must identify which of the action points in the attached checklist apply to their own area and provide a standalone report to The Scottish Office on what they are doing to address these points. In subsequent years we will expect progress to be reported within community care plans.

For our part, we will undertake to organise a seminar to publicise the findings from the survey and to stimulate further progress in the development and use of the CPA. This seminar will be held in 1999 and we shall be in touch later to provide further information about this.

In the meantime we look forward to receiving your progress report. These should be sent to both Mr Phil Harley, Department of Health, Room 264, St Andrew’s House, Edinburgh, EH1 3DG and Mr Tom Leckie, Social Work Services Inspectorate, Room 46, James Craig Walk, Edinburgh, EH1 3BA by 30 June 1999.

Further copies of the report are available by contacting Carol-Ann Gray, Room 37B at the above address, ( 0131 244 5409, fax 031 244 5496, email carol-ann.gray@scotland.gov.uk .

Yours sincerely

CHECKLIST OF ACTION REQUIRED

• CPA implemented?
  
• People on the CPA and their carers given information about the CPA and the standards of care they can expect?
  
• People on the CPA and their carers given copies of care plans and involved in meetings about their own care?
  
• CPA offered to people with dementia who have complex social care needs as well as people with severe and enduring mental illness with complex needs?
  
• Agency roles and responsibilities for developing, managing and administering the CPA clear and agreed and communicated to relevant staff?
  
• Common formats for assessments and written plans developed and agreed?
  
• Systems for monitoring and follow-up of people on the CPA in place and agreed?
  
• Written policies and procedures for following up people who fail to maintain contact with services agreed?
  
• Arrangements in place to ensure continuity of care for people who move?
  
• Health and social care standards for those on CPA developed?
  
• Standards include outcome measures?
  
• Administrative arrangements reviewed and dedicated administrative support available?
  
• Core data, including assessment of risk, identification of key workers and how they can be contacted, collected and available to relevant personnel?
  
• Information available at all times (over 24 hours, 7 days a week) to agencies involved in helping someone on the CPA in an emergency?
  
• Aggregated data used to review and improve the effectiveness of the CPA and fed into development of local mental health strategy and service commissioning process?
  
• All key workers have received training in its implementation?
  
• Training is multidisciplinary?

DISTRIBUTION

Chief Executives, Local Authorities
Directors of Social Work/Chief Social Work Officers
Directors of Housing
General Managers, Health Boards
Chief Executives, NHS Trusts
General Manager, State Hospital’s Board for Scotland
The Accounts Commission
Appropriate Professional and Voluntary Organisations:-

CMO
CNO
Dr Woods
Mr Aldridge
Dr Loudon
Mr Samuel
Mrs Stewart
Mr Anderson
Dr Bruce
Mrs Ottley
Mrs Bland
Dr F Paterson