Routine use of a standardised assessment instrument for measuring the outcome of social care

This study had as its primary aim determining the extent to which standardised assessment can contribute to monitoring the outcomes of social care. It also addressed the comparison of resource use between individual clients, groups of clients with similar characteristics and between Social Service Departments (SSD's). An important part of the study was exploring the views of Social Workers and Care Managers on assessment in general and standardised assessment and the MDS-HC in particular. It has succeeded in achieving the majority of its goals and its findings have been incorporated into a revised MDS-HC assessment system including the development of a simplified screening assessment. It has also identified how attitudes to assessment, the manner in which assessment is done, and the organisation of assessment and on going management of services provided was significantly different between the two social service departments that took part in the study. Some of the issues identified are important for the development of policy on assessment in community care. It is likely that the findings are widely generalisable.