Purpose

Amongst other actions the Care Act 2014 emphasised the duties of local authorities (LA) to assess the needs of carers, as well as those they care for and to meet all eligible needs for support. This paper aims to report the findings of a study which explored the experiences of older carers of people with learning disabilities as they navigated LA assessment processes and personnel.

Design/methodology/approach

Using an explorative design, 21 older carers were interviewed about their experiences. Interview transcripts were qualitatively analysed.

Findings

Three main themes were identified, namely, needs assessments as ambitions, not outcomes; the effects of funding-cuts projected onto carers; and challenges with social care personnel.

Originality/value

The study findings attracted a high level of engagement with public awareness and mainstream news and social media. The LA also immediately responded with interventions to address some of the findings, including carer “drop-in” sessions. They are also adapting their carer’s needs assessment processes as a result of the study. It is hoped that the issues raised will be of interest to other social care providers and practitioners.

中文翻译：

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学习障碍者的老年护理人员：他们在地方当局评估流程和人员方面的经验

目的

在其他行动中，2014 年《护理法》强调了地方当局 (LA) 有责任评估护理人员以及他们所照顾的人员的需求，并满足所有符合条件的支持需求。本文旨在报告一项研究的结果，该研究探讨了学习障碍者的老年护理人员在浏览洛杉矶评估过程和人员时的经历。

设计/方法/方法

使用探索性设计，21 名老年护理人员接受了采访，了解他们的经历。对访谈记录进行了定性分析。

发现

确定了三个主要主题，即需求评估是目标，而不是结果；预计资金削减对护理人员的影响；以及社会护理人员的挑战。

原创性/价值

研究结果吸引了公众意识以及主流新闻和社交媒体的高度参与。LA 还立即采取了干预措施来解决一些调查结果，包括护理人员的“拜访”会议。作为研究的结果，他们还调整了照顾者的需求评估过程。希望所提出的问题会引起其他社会护理提供者和从业者的兴趣。