The process begins with the assessor talking to you (and your family if you agree) or any carer you might have, about your needs, making observations and referring to other clinical information. It's known as an interRAI (or needs) assessment.
- Assessors are located in various places within our health service. Wherever possible the assessment will be done where you live.
- More complex assessments are commonly done by hospital-based assessors who are often members of teams known as NASC (Needs Assessment Service Coordination) or Care Coordination. These assessments can be quite lengthy.
- Less complex assessments may be done by a contracted home support service provider, registered nurse in a care home or other qualified person.
- Sometimes a basic assessment or review can be done over the phone. This is done only if it is thought the situation can be properly addressed in this way. If you have problems discussing such things over the phone, ask for a person-to-person meeting.
The completed assessment produces recommendations about how your health, wellbeing, and independence might be improved. If your assessment shows you will benefit from support then this information will be used to help create a support or care plan for you.
Read more about the the interRAI assessment here.
Updated: 21 Apr 2023