What is a care plan and why are care plans important?

If you think you or a family member requires support, this article highlights everything you need to know about care plans, what’s included and why it is important.

A care plan is a regularly reviewed written document produced by your local council, if it finds that you have eligible care needs. It should identify your individual care and support needs after your physical, emotional and social health has been assessed by a health professional such as a nurse. Care planning should boost your health and well-being.

Such plans identify the type of care you should get, at what level, how and by who.

An effective care plan approach involves you, health professionals, your family and carers to ensure you receive the right support in line with your wishes and preferences.

A care plan aims to:

• Ensuring you receive the same quality of care regardless of which care worker is on duty.
• Ensuring care you receive is recorded.
• Supporting you to identify and get help for your care needs.

Care planning: What should a care plan include?

You may be wondering what does a good care plan look like?

You are the person receiving care should always be involved in planning process to make your wishes known.

Your plan aims to identify clear, measurable goals. For example, a goal in your plan can be related to physical health (e.g. pain management).

It should include actions to achieve goals, for example, administering medicine.

The plan should identify who is responsible for each action, for example a nurse.

Your plan should include:

• What your assessed care needs are.
• Personal details, identity, culture, religion, your values, goals, personal preferences and your desired outcomes.
• What type of support you should receive. e.g visits from home care workers, personal alarm, reablement services, home care adaptations such as stair lifts, time at a day centre, time at a care home etc.
• What needs your local council will meet and how they’ll meet them.
• Who should provide your care and support.
• When care and support should be given.
• Records of care provided.
• The cost of meeting your needs.
• Your personal budget, including how much money, if any, you must contribute to the cost of meeting your care needs.
• Any direct payment details that have been agreed.

Once your local authority has assessed you and identified that you have support needs and that they will contribute towards the costs, your plan should include how much they will pay towards your care.

Your plan could include everything from personal assistants visiting you each week to home adaptations to make you more independent. It could also include visits to day centres for socialising or other things you may enjoy.

The council must provide you with a copy of your care plan, as well as a copy for anyone else you want, e.g. your carer.

Why are care plans important?

• It is essential to ensure that you consistently receive the right level of care long term.

• This planning ensures your personal needs and wishes are known by the people involved in supporting you. It helps your family understand how they can better help you.
• By being involved in your own care planning, you ensure that you will be looked after the way you want. It will also help you to keep doing the things you enjoy, e.g. hobbies and interests.
• Care plan benefits include personalised support, better communication and coordination between health professionals, family and your carers. This results in more informed decisions and proactive care. It also reduces the risk of misunderstandings or the same treatment/support being duplicated.
• A care plan’s clear goals and regularly monitoring of progress can promote recovery and enhance your quality of life.
• An effective planning approach will help you to live as independently as possible and give you more control over your life. You will feel listened to and more likely to take ownership of your own health with lifestyle changes.

What if I am not happy with my care plan?

Your local authority should let you know how you can raise any concerns or questions about your plan.

If you feel your care plan doesn’t support your needs, contact the adult social services department of your council to ask for a review.

How often is a care plan reviewed?

Your personalised plan needs to be monitored and regularly reviewed and updated to reflect any changes in your condition or progress made for specific goals, to ensure it is meeting your individual needs.

Your local council must review the plan usually 6-8 weeks after its creation.

Types of care plans

Common types of care plans are:

• Personal: This type of plan concentrates on daily assistance with daily living activities such as bathing, dressing, or meal preparation.
• Medical: Focuses on managing and treating medical conditions.
• Rehabilitation: Focus recovery from surgery, injury, or illness. For example physical therapy, occupational therapy etc.
• Palliative and Hospice: Concentrates on terminal conditions and giving comfort, pain management, and end-of-life care.
• Mental Health: Focuses on mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety, schizophrenia and giving emotional support, therapy and medicine management.

Do I need a care needs assessment?

If you have health and social care needs and do not currently receive support, the first thing to do is to request a care needs assessment from your local authority.