Author: Huxley P, Evans S, Munroe M, Cestari L
Journal: Health and Social Care in the Community, 2008
Volume/pages: Vol 16(5), pp476-482

About the study
This study looks at the issues raised by the implementation of the Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) assessment and eligibility for access to social care services in relation to the integration of health and social care and its relationship with the Care Programme Approach (CPA) that is used in health services. It examines questions raised by the implementation of FACS about the timing and focus of the assessment, the capacity of the assessor to encompass health and social care needs and the nature of the relationship between eligibility for services under each of the two assessments. Results were compared with the results of a baseline study conducted in 1997-1998 in the same geographic areas.

Findings
On the whole, the study found that there was more agreement than difference between judgements made based on FACS and CPA assessments and eligibility criteria. However, the authors put the question, “does this justify separate systems of assessment, eligibility determination and budgets?” They also found that different health and social care professions made different judgements based on the FACS eligibility criteria thus raising the issues regarding the training of all professionals in the assessment process prior to the integration of the two assessment processes.

Key messages

• The model of integration currently operating in mental health which attempts to integrate social care into the healthcare system risks marginalizing social care in a partnership context.
• The implication of letting different professional groups undertake FACS determination is that inequity will be reintroduced into a system designed to eliminate it. This may be applicable across other client groups.