Planning your care together

During your care with us, we will work closely with you and, if appropriate, your carer(s) to best plan how you will be assessed and treated.

The assessment and care planning process is a way of identifying your needs, then agreeing with you how care will be planned together.

This will include:

• An assessment of your needs
• A named professional with responsibility for coordinating your care
• A written care plan or statement of care
• A regular review of care

What is the Care Programme Approach (CPA)?

If your plan of care requires a greater degree of co-ordination because your needs are more complex, this assessment and planning process may be referred to as the Care Programme Approach (CPA) process.

What is an assessment?

This means finding out what kind of help you need. Lots of different things are covered in an assessment, not just your state of mind, but also the other everyday things that affect you and your own situation. It may also look at medical and physical needs because these can often have an effect on mental health.

What is a plan of care?

The details on the care or treatment you will receive will be written down. This description of your care or treatment may form part of a letter to you.

However, if you are receiving support from the Care Programme Approach (CPA) process, a more detailed care plan would identify your different needs and the ways in which you will be supported.

Where possible you should be involved in writing your care plan and will be asked to sign it and given a copy to keep.

It would also be helpful to consider who else would benefit from having a copy of your care plan, as it should include plans for you and your carer to know what to do in the event of a crisis or difficulty.

How is my care coordinated?

Everyone who receives care from the Trust will have a lead professional to coordinate their care. This will be the person best placed to oversee your plan of care and how it is working. They will be responsible for keeping in contact with you and anyone else involved in your care.
If you are receiving support from the CPA process, this person will be referred to as the CPA care coordinator.

What is a review?

A review is where you and others involved in your care discuss how well the plan of care is going, whether your needs have changed and if the plan of care needs to be altered.

The assessment and review process is an ongoing process throughout your care, but a planned review that can include all those involved in your care should be arranged periodically depending on your need. These planned review dates will be agreed as part of the plan of care and should allow you and your carer to have a real say in how things are going.

You, your carer or any member of the care team may ask for an earlier review date, and if appropriate, this will be held at the earliest opportunity.

"If at any point during your care you have questions or don't understand something that is going to happen please talk to your professional – Don't be frightened to ask questions!"