A survey of social services needs assessments for elderly mentally ill people in England and Wales

Objective: to examine variations in the needs assessment policies and practices of social services departments in England and Wales in dealing with elderly people who have mental illness. Design: postal questionnaire survey. Subjects: a random sample of 61 of 119 social services departments in England and Wales. Main outcome measure: 99-item questionnaire. Results: 40 responses were received (66%). There were substantial differences in the way referrals were screened before needs assessment and in the design of needs assessment procedures. Disagreements between health and social services were common and, although mechanisms existed to respond to urgent needs, almost one-third found such responses difficult to make. Conclusions: there are national variations in the way needs assessments are performed by social services, which may lead to inequalities in provision of care to individuals. The lack of a standardized approach impedes comparisons of need between areas which might aid in the distribution of resources at a national level.