This essay will examine several issues that surround provision of community care. It will explain relevant government legislation and policies which are involved in the process of care management and how these can be used to meet the needs of different service users. It will also describe some of the changes in the way community care is delivered following the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990, and how the changes impact on professional practice within the social work field. The social model of disability will also be discussed as well as how service users can become actively involved in securing the services they need. This will be done in relation to the case study we were provided with.
With the introduction of the National Health Service and Community Care Act 2000, community care was updated and improved to cater for service users needs, in order for them to stay at home. Prior to this time there was confusion surrounding who was responsible for care between the local authority government and health care sector’s. The legislation meant that services are provided by a local authority and are used in order to improve an individual’s situation, with preference on service users staying in their own homes, rather than care homes as was previously preferred. According to Brammer (2003) other legislation which is used to provide services are the National Assistance Act 1948, the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968, the Mental Health Act 1983 and parts of the National Health Act 1983.
The care management process is undertaken in seven different stages, each of which plays an important part in providing appropriate services. At the start of the process information is made available to the public about the services available, and this encourages ‘un-referred’ individuals to request an assessment, thereby enabling all members of society to be included. The level of assessment