Agreeing and reviewing care plans

Once your care and support plan is completed your health or social care professional must see the plan and agree it with you, before you can receive your personal budget.

We have a duty to ensure your support arrangements will meet your assessed support needs effectively. 

Any risks in the way you’ve chosen to meet your needs are also identified and contingency plans will be made.

We’ll tell you in writing if we’re unable to provide services for some of your needs and why.

Your health or social care professional will be looking for a number of details in your plan, including:

• that it will keep you healthy, safe and well
• if it makes the most of services or activities you can use and do in your community
• if it takes account  of your natural networks of support
• if it meets the needs and outcomes identified in your assessment
• if it’s within the budget amount that you were given to meet your needs
• information about how you’ll manage any risks
• that the decisions that have been are your own or made in your best interest
• if someone is in control of your budget, that they’re the right person
• what will be put in place if your planned care and support doesn't happen/turn up
• that your care and support is best value for both yourself and us
• that the cost of the services in your care and support plan are realistic and affordable
• the support you want to meet your needs is lawful
• the length of time you think you'll need your different types of support for

Keeping support plans under review is an important way of ensuring they’re up to date, relevant, and working well for you. Without a review, plans can quickly become out of date, meaning that you won’t get the right help to meet your changing needs.
 

When making your care and support plan, a health or social care professional will agree a review date with you.  This is to ensure:

• your care and support services are satisfactory
• you’re on track to achieving any outcomes you’ve set
• you’re still eligible for support from us
• you’re eligible needs are still being met

In most circumstances you’ll receive an initial ‘light touch’ review to ensure your new care arrangements are working as you wanted and that any necessary changes are made. After this time you’ll have a review at least annually, unless your circumstances change and you request to bring it forward.

You can ask someone you know who’s involved with your care to attend and help you at your review or we can arrange for an independent advocate.

Depending on your circumstances, we may discuss your review over the telephone, virtually, or face-to-face. 
Your personal budget may vary depending on changes to your care needs. We will always discuss any changes to your care and support plan with you, taking your strengths and support network into account at all stages.

If you’re unhappy with our response you may wish to use the council's complaints process to have your case heard by an independent person.