A care and support plan is a document that details the personalised and tailored support you or your loved one require.
At Trinity Homecare, we are dedicated to providing care plans that fully meet your exact needs. Whether you need support with a specific condition like dementia or a care plan for elderly relatives, we can help with live-in, visiting, or specialist care tailored to your bespoke requirements.
Below, we delve deeper into what a care plan is, what it should include and how to get one put in place. We’ll also explore why planning care is so important to ensure you or your loved one gets the dedicated care they deserve.
What is a care plan?
A care plan is a document that outlines the care and support you or your loved one need to live well. It is designed to be fully tailored to your requirements, ensuring the type of care, who will provide it and when, is clearly recorded so everyone involved in providing care understands your needs.
A care plan can be put in place short-term if you only need respite care to cover a short-term gap to help you recover from an illness, injury or surgery. But it is also possible to put a long-term care and support plan in place when ongoing support is required.
Writing a care plan is an important part of the care planning process, as it ensures your or your loved one’s individual needs are not neglected. Therefore, it should not be overlooked.
Where can I get a care plan?
The first step to getting a care plan is to contact your local council’s social services department to organise a care needs assessment. This assessment may take place face-to-face, over the phone, online or via self-assessment.
During the assessment, a social worker or occupational therapist will ask you questions about the kind of support you need and how well you can manage everyday tasks, like cooking, washing and dressing. They may also ask you to show them or describe to them how well you can perform certain tasks like getting up out of your chair or making a cup of tea. They’ll also look at any ways in which your home environments could be improved to make your day-to-day life easier, such as installing grab rails in the bathroom.
It’s a good idea to have a friend or relative with you on the day of the assessment to take notes or speak up if you are struggling to articulate your needs.
This is a key part of your care planning process, so you must give as much detail as possible about all the everyday tasks you struggle with. Not doing so could mean you may not receive all the care and support you need.
After the care needs assessment, your support will be written up as a care and support plan and a copy will be sent to you. This will identify the kind of care and support you would benefit from.
If you are considering home care as an option, then it is possible to contact a private home care provider, like Trinity Homecare for a free no-obligation care needs assessment. Contact us today to find out more.
What should be included in a care plan?
When planning care there is a lot to think about, but a care plan should include:
- What support you require
- What you can or would like to continue to do yourself
- What your desired outcomes of care are
- Who will provide your care
- When will care be given
- Whether you have any previous care records and how will these fit into your new care plan
- Relevant medical history, such as any current medication you take or any conditions you have
- An up-to-date care needs assessment that includes all your current care needs
- Details of key family members
It’s important to be honest about your wants and needs during this process to ensure you get the right level of care.
Your GP, healthcare specialists, pharmacists or other healthcare specialists can also provide information on your behalf to help shape your care plan.
How to write a care plan
To write an effective care plan, it must be person-centred. This means it focuses on your wishes and needs and your preferences should be the first thing that it takes into account.
As a general guide, a good care plan should be:
- Detailed
- Well-structured and clear
- Fully understood by users and care professionals
- Reflect the wishes of the person receiving care
- Regularly reviewed and updated
- Flexible to the individual needs and preferences of the person
- Responsive to changing needs, circumstances and preferences
- Help foster independence of the person receiving care whenever possible
- Secure, as a support and care plan will contain sensitive information
- Easily accessible to relevant parties
- Have a single master version that everyone uses
How often should I review a care plan?
A care plan should be reviewed regularly to ensure it continues to reflect the support you require. Usually, a care plan will initially be reviewed a few months after being implemented to ensure that it is working for you. This is a good time to voice any thoughts or concerns you have about the care and support you’re receiving.
After this initial review, it is normal for care plans to be reviewed annually. However, if you feel your needs change before your next review is due, you should reach out and request additional help.
What if I’m not happy with my care plan?
If you are not happy with how your assessment or care plan was done, you have the right to complain. If the care plan was done by the local council, you should contact them to find out about their complaint procedure. If you’re not happy with how they handle your complaint you can escalate the issue by contacting the local government and social care ombudsman.
When it comes to care planning, it’s really important to have as much input as you possibly can or to get someone else to advocate for you. Speaking up about your needs and what you find hard day-to-day can help ensure you get the right care and support from the beginning.
Trusted care at home
At Trinity Homecare, we can provide a free no-obligation care needs assessment for you or your loved one to help you understand more about your care and support wants and needs.
As a fully managed care agency with an ‘Outstanding’ CQC rating, we are amongst the top 4% of all nationwide care companies in England. With this in mind, you can rest assured that your loved one will receive the highest standard of care and specialist support.
If you have any questions about arranging care, simply get in touch with our helpful and knowledgeable care team.
Arranging nationwide home care with Trinity is straightforward.
Simply follow these five steps:
- Call our care team
- Undergo a free, no-obligation consultation to discuss your care needs and arrange a care assessment
- After the assessment, a plan of care is created
- A well-suited carer is found and placed
- Care can be adapted at any time
