UNIT 2: Learning aim B, issues that affect access to services

Question 1

self referral

Answer 1

Access to primary healthcare services such as doctors, dentists opticians. Also many social care services for children and adults.

Question 2

third party referrals

Answer 2

by a friend, neighbour or relative. These referrals are usually to services that are accessed by self referral.

Question 3

professional referral

Answer 3

by HSC professional to another service provider, e.g head teacher referring a child with learning difficulties to educational psychologist, a social worker contacting domiciliary services for a client with learning difficulties.

Question 4

assessments

Answer 4

Local Authorities -duty to carry out community care assessment
Adult social care services usually responsible for this.
Social worker carries out the assessment where the needs may be as follows:

Question 5

carers assessment

Answer 5

Assessment of the needs of the informal carers providing support for a vulnerable person , such as a person with a physical disability, a person with a mental health need or a frail old person.

The Care Act 2014 sets out carer’s legal rights for assessment and support.

Question 6

eligibility criteria

Answer 6

-A physical or mental impairment or illness, plus,
-An inability to achieve at least two of the following daily activities (called outcomes):
Prepare and eat food
Wash themselves and their clothes
Manage their toilet needs
Dress appropriately especially in cold weather.
Move around their home easily.
Keep their house safe and clean
Maintain family or other close relationships, in order to avoid social isolation
Access work, training, education or volunteering
Use local facilities, including shops, recreational facilities etc.
Carry out caring responsibilities, including caring for children
Meet the outcomes likely to affect their health and wellbeing.

Question 7

national eligibility criteria

Answer 7

Social care not always free
Financial assessment will decide whether service user must contribute to the cost of care and by how much.
Eligible service users receive a personal budget, sometimes called a direct payment in cash.
Personal budget available to all client groups (older people, people with disabilities, carers).
People with disabilities can purchase care service people/company of their choice.

Question 8

What could be the barriers to accessing health and care services?

Answer 8

-Language
-Inconvenient location of service
-Financial- childcare during appointment or loss of wages
-Scarce resources-long waiting times in hospitals; restricted opening times; limited availability of specialist resources
-Communication- discomfort due to fear of discrimination

Question 9

how barriers to access can affect a person’s health?

Answer 9

-Mental health affected
-Physical health deterioration
-Basic needs may not be met such as feeding family so poor growth and development of children
-If no access to translators etc, health issues may not be fully understood by doctors and serious health issues may go untreated
-People with religious/cultural beliefs may reject certain medicines which may impact their health