Free Nursing Dissertations - The Result Is Commonly That The Same (or Similar) Facts Are Elicited
The result is commonly that the same (or similar) facts are elicited repeatedly, with all the implications this has for duplication, waste and inefficiency. (Fatchett A. 1998). The SAP is designed to allow one assessment to be made that can then be utilised by any one of a number of agencies that may need the information. It is hoped that this measure will also help to cut much of the red tape that appears to encumber many of the measures that are primarily designed to assist the elderly patient and only finish up by hampering efforts to assist them. (Gott M 2000)
It is a stated aim of the Single Assessment Process that the needs and wishes of the elderly patient will remain at the heart of the whole process. The extent that such concerns can be accommodated alongside the practicalities of service provision has yet to be fully assessed. (Mannion R et al 2005)
In many respects the Single Assessment Process is a comparatively new concept in the NHS. It has only been operational since April 2004. Multidisciplinary team working and seamless interfacing are concepts that have been espoused by the modern NHS for some years. (Mason et al 2003). As concepts, they were translated into reality with comparative ease.
The prime difference between these two concepts and the Single Assessment Process, is that the team members can work together and communicate efficiently and well in the vast majority of cases, but each discipline will typically still carry out an assessment of patient needs in their own discipline-specific way and in their own vocabulary-specific terms. The purpose of the SAP has been defined as:
Individuals are placed at the heart of assessment and care planning, and these processes are timely and in proportion to individuals' needs.
Professionals are willing, able and confident to use their judgement.
Care plans or statements of service delivery are routinely produced and service users receive a copy.
Professionals contribute to assessments in the most effective way, and care co-ordinators are agreed in individual cases when necessary.
Information is collected, stored and shared as effectively as possible and subject to consent.
Professionals and agencies do not duplicate each other's assessments.
This type of intervention is promoted in various guises throughout the National Service Framework. The concept of the patient at the centre as a consumer, rather than at the periphery, is central to the whole thrust behind the reforms outlined in the first paragraph. This is illustrated by the recent spate of Trust-based patient surveys that have been taking place (Baggott R 2004b). The object of this particular exercise is to measure, and thereby quantify patient’s experiences of the whole care process.
