The Roles and Tasks of Care Managers in Wales

Abstract

Based on a postal survey in 1995 of all front‐line staff in Wales with an assessment and/or care management role, findings are reported about how tasks and roles were operationalised following the full introduction of the new community care in April 1993. Further information was obtained by interviews with managers in health and social services. Only a fifth of social services posts were designated or titled as care management posts. The majority of these workers were located in services for elderly and physically disabled people. Although few had a specific budget, the majority considered that they had greater control over financial resources than before April 1993. The analysis of tasks undertaken by front‐line staff shows that there remains a broad overlap between the roles of care managers and social workers. The results highlight the nature of increasing demands on staff and raise issues about the impact of increased workloads and administration on service quality. They also highlight tensions between care management and traditional professional roles. Some pointers for continuing debate are provided.

Exploring the role of independent organisations in care coordination for older people in England

“…Evidence available suggests that in England and other parts of the United Kingdom, care coordination for adult user groups is largely undertaken by staff in statutory social and health care services (McGrath et al, 1996;Xie, Hughes, Challis, & Stewart, 2008). Moreover, the role of independent organisations in care coordination was usually supplementary to that of local authorities, with voluntary organisations typically providing services for discrete user groups such as people with sensory impairments (SSI, 1998a;Xie et al, 2008).…”

Needs-led assessment: the challenges and the reality

“…They were to become the ‘gatekeepers’ of the public purse for long‐term care via the assessment process, but in so doing the available finances for such care were effectively capped by the then Conservative Government (Lewis & Glennerster 1996). Policy and subsequent guidance recommended placing needs assessment at the front of a process of care (case) management (Department of Health 1989, 1990). Indeed, needs‐led assessment and care management were to become the ‘cornerstone of high quality care’ (Department of Health 1989, para.…”

Care management and social work: A case study of the role of social work in hospital discharge to residential or nursing home care

“…Recognizing and dealing with people's feelings-the social world of the client or userappears to have taken second place in the assessment and admission process (McGrath et al 1996;Postle 2001). Indeed this traditional social focus of social work activity may not be there at all.…”

“…There's too much resident's choice and not what is best for them in the long term. (matron) As in other studies home owners were more preoccupied with the physical needs of the older people, but the social workers adopted a more holistic approach (Caldock 1996). In summary, whilst relationships between purchasers and providers were on the whole good, they attached importance to different things.…”

“…In practice this can conflict with an emphasis on individual needs and rights, as emphasized in the 1990 Act, official guidance on care management and in the Health Service Patient's Charter (Department of Health 1992) which sets out in detail the level of personal service an individual can expect (Henwood and Wistow 1993;Henwood 1994Henwood , 1997. At a service level these different organizational imperatives and resource shortages frequently create tensions between social and health care professionals working with patients, thus exacerbating pre-existing professional differences (Dalley 1993;Caldock 1996;Victor et al 2000). Similar difficulties occur in the US case-management system (Raiff and Shore 1993).…”