Assessment, Performance Measurement and User Satisfaction in Older People’s Services

Present concerns with changing the delivery of social care services focus on tailoring services to meet individual needs and refining the mechanisms with which to do this. This includes the appropriate use of information, monitoring and regulating practice, and ensuring choice and quality for users. This programme is intended to build on and develop many of these current themes including: the pivotal role played by assessment; the closer monitoring of performance; and, related to this, the measurement of key outcomes such as user satisfaction. It builds on a number of projects conducted by PSSRU staff in Manchester, some of which are briefly described below. Assessment The form and content of assessment practice is central to ensuring that older users receive services in line with changing needs. First, the manner in which assessments are undertaken is crucial in order to promote consistency in practice. This may be achieved by removing the variability caused by the user receiving multiple assessments from different professionals and by ensurin