A preliminary study of changes in assessment: examining the relationship between recent policy and practitioners’ knowledge, opinions and practice

Abstract

Following the publication of the White Paper Caring for People, changes are anticipated in assessment procedures for community care services for elderly people. From the perspective of those involved in the management and provision of community care, this paper examines the relationship between the proposed reforms and practitioners’ knowledge, opinions and practices. Some implications for training and professional practice are suggested. This study is based upon 33 in-depth interviews across two counties in North Wales with a range of community care professionals (n=40) and seeks to reflect workers’ understandings about new assessment arrangements and their expections, opinions and anxieties about the anticipated reforms. The data suggest that loss of momentum and enthusiasm for reform has followed the dealy in implementation and that cynicism and anxieties about role uncertainty, resource shortages, perceived training needs and budget holding may be undermining generally positive attitudes to the benefits of holistic assessment.