Key skills workplace assignment

Reviewing care plans

When planning and managing the care of your clients, it’s vital to draw up a care plan foreach individual, and to review it regularly. The purpose of this assignment is to developyour practice in reviewing care plans.

Stages May be relevant to

The assignment asks you to:

1 choose a suitable client and plan your work WO2.1, LP2.1

2 work with the client C2.1a, WO2.2, LP2.2

3 plan a review meeting C2.3

4 attend and record the meeting C2.1a, C2.1b, C2.3, WO2.2

5 think about what you learnt WO2.3, LP2.3

6 rate your own performance

Tips

• Keep all your notes, drafts and other resources, and copies of letters and records oftelephone calls and meetings.

• Keep the evidence of working out your findings.

• Proofread all written work to check punctuation, grammar and spelling. If you areunsure about it, ask someone else to read through your work to check it for accuracy.

• If possible, get your boss or colleagues to evaluate your performance.

• If in doubt at any time, ask your trainer or mentor for guidance.

Suitable for: learners in care homes

What you need to do

Stage 1 Choose a suitable client and plan your work

Talk to your manager or supervisor and choose a client with whom you can work. You mayalready be a key worker for a particular client, or you may have a colleague who is a keyworker with whom you could work more closely.

Discuss the chosen client’s existing care plan and their needs. Agree with your manager orsupervisor what involvement you will have and for how long, and who you can go to for helpand guidance.

Complete an action plan and identify the resources you could use to help you complete thisassignment. Set targets and deadlines for completing tasks and clarify yourresponsibilities and those of your colleagues.

Stage 2 Work with the client

Arrange to meet your client and their family to talk about their needs. It may be helpfulto have a blank copy of the care plan with you when you meet them, so that you cancomplete it with the client and – if appropriate – their family. Important points toremember include:

• explaining your role as a point of contact to the client and family

• telling the client why you are asking them about their needs and wishes

• encouraging the client and the client’s family to participate in the process

• respecting confidentiality, and storing the information securely at work. (If you take itaway, you’ll need to include a fictitious name and contact details in place of the client’s.)

As you work with your client, make notes on the care plan of any changes in their needsand the reasons for them, and whether and how these needs are being met. Make surethat your records are clear and easy to follow, so that your colleagues will have accurateinformation about your client.

It’s important to involve your manager and/or other relevant people who can give youfeedback on your record keeping and verbal reporting during the time you are working withyour client. You’ll need guidance, advice and support to ensure you are working correctly. Ifyou are unsure, then ask.

Stage 3 Plan a review meeting

The next stage is to plan a review meeting, to discuss what you found out about the clientand his or her needs. At the review meeting you’ll represent the client, and you shouldspend some time beforehand planning what you’ll say about them and their current needs.

Draw up a list of who should be present at the meeting. Design and send out a letterinviting the relevant people, making sure that you include the date, time, venue and purposeof the meeting.

Stage 4 Attend and record the meeting

At the meeting, present an update of your client’s situation and needs, and answer ordiscuss questions about the client.

Record what happens at the review meeting. Make sure that your records are accurate,legible and complete and communicated to everyone who needs them.

Stage 5 Think about what you learnt

Discuss your performance during this assignment with those present at the meeting (orwith your manager or supervisor if this seems more appropriate). The following criteriamay help you.

• Identify what and how you learnt

• Identify what has gone well and what has gone less well

• Identify targets you have met

• Identify ways in which you might improve your performance.

Stage 6 Rate your own performance

Once you’ve completed the assignment, take time to think about how well you tackled it:

• Did you do anything particularly well?

• What did you enjoy the most?

• What did you find challenging?

• Was there anything you could improve on next time?

Reviewing care plans – trainer notes

Briefing and supporting the learner

• Involve the learner in choosing an appropriate assignment. Consider the business benefit.• Consult with the learner’s employer if necessary.• Think about the learner’s existing skills and knowledge – will they need help before they start?• Decide whether to use the assignment to help the learner develop and practise their key skills or to

gather portfolio evidence.• Decide whether to use all or part of the assignment.• How long will it take the learner to complete the assignment? How and when will you review

progress?• Explain the assignment to the learner so that they know what’s involved and what’s expected.• Identify health and safety implications and make sure the learner is aware of these.

Extending the assignment

This assignment could be extended as follows:• The learner could research models of patient care (C2.2). Is the model used in their home the most

appropriate? Why? This could be relevant to problem solving.If a client is unhappy with the care prescribed, or care needs have changed so that the service beingprovided is not the most appropriate, what action needs to be taken? Again, this could be relevant toproblem solving.