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Referrals & Assessments

Precious’ referrals and assessment process ensures that we offer the right support to meet people’s needs.

Getting the right support

We strive to support individuals, families and professionals to find the right support service/s. We know that the process can be a stressful one for all involved and we do all we can to relieve any anxieties and concerns when searching for support.

Our referral, assessment, and placement process is extremely thorough. This enables us to get to know each individual and their support needs in as much depth as possible, which is vital to making sure the support we provide is based on a person’s current needs.

Involving people in their own care 

Our ethos is to ensure the person is at the centre of their assessment and their wellbeing is considered throughout. All assessments are a two-way process with potential service users assessing the suitability of our support and accommodation as well as us assessing our ability to meet and support each person’s needs. 

We ensure the people we support and/or their circle of support are offered sufficient information about us and our services. We strive to get continuous feedback, provide information for decision making and incorporate people’s views and wishes from the very beginning.

 

The Referral Process

Step 1: Get in touch

The first step in our referral process is to get in touch. Our business development team have in-depth knowledge of all of our services, including specialisms, facilities and vacancies. The team process all initial referrals and will respond to the referrer within 24hrs of receiving the enquiry. 

Step 2: Initial needs assessment 

On receipt of the enquiry we will discuss the needs and requirements of the person and will have an initial conversation about potential services with the referrer and service manager. 

Step 3: Gathering information 

If the team identify a suitable service to meet the person’s needs, they will request supporting information to help inform the initial needs assessment. This may include; risk assessments, positive behaviour support plans, MDT reports, incident reports and any other relevant information. This information will be reviewed by the Business Development team, service manager and where required our in house Clinical Team.

Step 4: Keeping people informed 

A member of the team will provide feedback on whether we are able to proceed to assessment. It is really important to us that everyone is involved in the process and has a good understanding of what to expect. If we proceed to a full assessment, a comprehensive information pack we sent to the person who has been referred, the referrer/funder and family members. 

Our assessment process 

Precious has a dedicated and experienced Assessments Team who coordinate the needs based Assessment Process. The Lead Assessor and Service Manager completes a thorough and detailed assessment of need compatibility and risk. Where appropriate, the assessment process will typically involve the person who has been referred, their support teams, professionals and families.

We aim to make sure that the assessment process is meaningful and comfortable for each person.

Once an assessment has been carried out the Assessments and Operations team will be able to conclude if a placement can be offered. If a placement can be offered, our Business Development Team will coordinate the offer process.

If a placement cannot be offered, the referrer will receive an explanation outlining the reasons why a person’s needs are unable to be met on that occasion.

“We have discharged people who have been detained in psychiatric inpatient hospitals to their own homes, in their local area, close to their families. This is not easy or quick, it can take months and sometimes even years of careful planning to ensure we get the right individualised support for each person, and this is what we have been doing with the support of Precious."
Professional team

Next steps: Proposal and funding

Following assessment – as long as we are confident we can meet the person’s needs – we will submit a proposal to their Health and Social Care Team. Our proposals include levels of support, how support would be provided, any multi-disciplinary input required from our internal team, written assessment, and our cost breakdown.

Once we have submitted our proposal, the Commissioning Team and Social Worker or Care Manager will meet to decide whether or not the proposed placement will be agreed and funded. During this time, we aim to keep in regular contact with everyone involved. Once funding is agreed, we can start to plan the move into a new home and new support. Making this transition as smooth and stress-free is vital to ensuring a good placement.