Report of feedback from Healthwatch Worcestershire on the WCC online support needs checklist and online self-assessment form

This is a report from Healthwatch Worcestershire. The project looks at the online systems related to adult social care in Worcestershire.

There were two elements to the work, one a look at the online checklist, the second a look at the online application form.

Broadly it was found that there should be changes to both systems. The pressure to do everything online might not be best for people that often have complex needs and conditions and would need to ask further questions before answering certain questions.

Recommendations – Needs Assessment Checklist

1. Review whether the Online Needs Assessment checklist is necessary.

2. Clarify its purpose and function.

3. If the Checklist remains in place include a clear statement about people’s entitlement to a Needs Assessment under the Care Act in relevant sections of the Checklist as indicated above (eg in the Introductory, Summary and Financial Assessment pages).

4. In the section ‘How does your physical or mental health condition, frailty, impairment or disability affect your daily life?’ change the instruction to: Tick all that apply to you.

5. Provide some further ‘Plain English’ explanation of the Care Act categories, and carry these through across all forms.

6. Move the section entitled ‘Would you like to continue? to the top of the Summary Page.

7. Ensure that the Online Directory provides useful and comprehensive information for people looking for support.

8. Consider including a direct link to the Worcestershire Care Services Directory from the Online Directory landing page, and/or from the Summary page.

9. Replace the current wording of the Finance section to clarify that people are entitled to a Needs Assessment under the Care Act regardless of their level of savings.

10. Make it clear that Adult Social Care Services are means tested and subject to a financial assessment to determine the person’s contribution to the cost of their care, but remove the online link to further information and the compulsory checkbox statement about paying for care.

Recommendations related to the online self-assessment form:

1. Review whether the Online Self-Assessment is necessary from the perspective of people who will use it.

2. Provide clarification as to its purpose and function under the Care Act.

3. If the Online Self-Assessment remains in place consider whether the registration process is essential from the user perspective.

4. Review the Portal registration page, so that only information that is required at this stage is marked as compulsory.

5. Enable third parties to explain why a referral is being made without consent, include instructions about submitting additional information and clarify how a person will know that the referral has been accepted.

6. Clarify and provide information about how people’s specific language or communication requirements are recorded and how they will be responded to.

7. Enable people to add additional categories when describing their needs, to appear alongside those identified in the Needs Assessment Checklist.

8. Review the questions in the form so that they provide further explanation where necessary.

9. Clarify how the information about Unpaid Carers will be used.

10.Include information about the ability to submit supporting documentation at relevant points in the form, and provide examples about the sorts of documentation which may be helpful.

There are no follow up actions in this report.