Supported Discharge
Dear Somerset County Council,
The local authority employs Social Workers working out of local hospitals to facilitate safe discharge. This support may take the form of a care package or personal budget.
In the year 2009-2010 how many people were provided with social work support on leaving hospital?
Furthermore can you please provide a general breakdown of the primary health condition necessitating the support. For example an individual admitted with a broken hip may need home carers to assist with personal care on discharge.
How many people received intermediate care or reablement services (short term support on leaving hospital)?
How much was spent on care packages for people leaving hospital as part of their discharge arrangements?
How many people received a social work needs assessment whilst an inpatient?
How many qualified social workers working within hospitals does the local authority employ?
Thank you for your assistance in this matter. All information is gratefully received.
Yours faithfully,
Mr M Jones
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Mark Jones left an annotation ()
Thank you for your comment.
There is an important distinction to be made between what is often known as the discharge team (mostly nurses) and the hospital social work team who facilitate supported discharge.
As a social work graduate I have collegues who have and continue to work in hospital social work roles. It is usual, but by no means universal, for such staff to be situated at the hospital but to be employees of the local authority rather than the NHS.
Unfortunately this means that the resident social workers only assess local residents with any other patient having to request someone from their own community visits them for an assessment.
I hope this clarifies my request.
Best regards,
Mark Jones
Dear Mark,
Thank you for your email. I have logged this as a FOI request. Your
reference number is 1437122. You should have a response within 20
working days.
Faye Nicholson
6373780
Dear Mark Jones
Thank you for your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We are currently dealing with your request and will be in touch shortly concerning disclosure of the information you have requested.
The legislation obliges us to provide you with this information within 20 days, so our response will be sent to you by 4 February 2011.
Yours sincerely
Sheila Burridge
Adult social care commissioning and policy team
* Community Directorate, Floor A2, County Hall, Taunton TA1 4DY
* 01823 357995
* [email address]
This communication is intended solely for the person (s) or organisation to whom it is addressed. It may contain privileged
and confidential information and if you are not the intended recipient (s), you must not copy, distribute or take any action
in reliance on it. If you have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender and copy the message to
[email address]
Individuals are advised that by replying to, or sending an e-mail message to Somerset County Council, you accept
that you have no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy.
In line with the Surveillance and Monitoring Policy, any e-mail messages (and attachments) transmitted over the
Council’s network may be subject to scrutiny.
Dear Mark
I am writing in respect of your recent request for information from Somerset County Council, which been has dealt with under the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Please find below responses to the information requested.
Q1. In the year 2009-2010 how many people were provided with social work support on leaving hospital?
3569
Q2. Can you please provide a general breakdown of the primary health condition necessitating the support?
The recording of this information is optional, therefore incomplete so we are unable to provide this
Q3. How many people received intermediate care or reablement services?
1862
Q4. How much was spent on care packages for people leaving hospital as part of their discharge arrangements?
This information is not available
Q5. How many people received a social work needs assessment whilst an inpatient?
5749
Q6. How many qualified social workers working within hospitals does the local authority employ?
22
If you feel your request has not been answered in sufficient detail or if you wish to clarify the information given please contact me (i.e. the signer of the letter) and I will be happy to address the issues you raise.
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Please send your request to:
Peter Grogan
The Corporate Information Management Manager,
County Hall,
Taunton,
TA1 4DY or email [email address] <mailto:[email address]>
An internal review will then be carried out and we will write to you with the results of our investigation. If you are not content with the outcome of our review, you may then apply directly to the Information Commissioner's Office (www.ico.gov.uk <http://www.ico.gov.uk <http://www.ico.gov.uk/> > ) for an appeal:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF Tel: 0303 - 123 1113
Yours sincerely.
Sheila Burridge (sent on behalf of Vicky Breeze, Senior Commissioning Officer)
Freedom of Information Administrator
Commissioning Care and Support
* Community Directorate, Floor A2, County Hall, Taunton TA1 4DY
* 01823 357995
* [email address]
This communication is intended solely for the person (s) or organisation to whom it is addressed. It may contain privileged
and confidential information and if you are not the intended recipient (s), you must not copy, distribute or take any action
in reliance on it. If you have received this e-mail in error please notify the sender and copy the message to
[email address]
Individuals are advised that by replying to, or sending an e-mail message to Somerset County Council, you accept
that you have no explicit or implicit expectation of privacy.
In line with the Surveillance and Monitoring Policy, any e-mail messages (and attachments) transmitted over the
Council’s network may be subject to scrutiny.
Brenda Prentice left an annotation ()
Dear Mark,
If you really want to know how social services work, or don’t work and within ‘partnerships’, read my book. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Andrews-Story-B-...
Partnership means, in practise, ‘your budget, not mine’! Then the circle beings. If you are unlucky, like my son, you die before you get the help you need!
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Brenda Prentice left an annotation ()
Dear Mark Jones,
How very interesting that you should ask that question. I too have serious concerns over hospital discharge. I was under the impression that hospital S/W were employed by the hospital and work 'in partnership' with County Hall?
I wait with interest to see the answers.
Brenda