Health Care Assessments and Plans

Contents

1. Health Care Assessments
2. Health Care Plans
3. Designated Key Worker

1. Health Care Assessments

Each child/young person should have regular Looked After Child Health Assessments and where applicable their health needs will also be reviewed regularly as part of their Education Health and Care Plan (EHCP). For children under 5 years of age these should take place every 6 months, for children over 5 years of age these should take place annually. If a child has complex health needs more regular assessments may be required.

The purpose of these health assessments is to promote children's physical and mental health and to inform the child's health care plan and ensure that the placement meets the child's holistic health needs.

LAC Health Assessments must be conducted by a suitably qualified medical practitioner; who should provide the social worker with a written report.

The social worker is normally responsible for ensuring that Local Authority Health Care Assessments are undertaken, but this responsibility may be undertaken by the home.

2. Health Care Plans

Each child/young person's Placement Plan must include a Health Care Plan, setting out the healthcare needs for the child/young person and how they will be promoted, ensuring that the child/young person's holistic health needs are met.

The initial Health Care Plan should be drawn up in time for the first Looked After Review, after a Health Care Assessment has been undertaken. The plan should then be updated after each Health Care Assessment or as circumstances change.

The matters that should be considered in drawing up the Health Care Plan are as follows:

1. Whether there are any specific health care needs - and how the home will meet them;
2. If it is agreed that paracetamol or other painkillers can be used to provide relief for headaches, menstrual or other pain; also whether there are any restrictions;
3. On the use of non-prescribed medicines, Non prescribed Medication or use of first aid;
4. The involvement of the child/young person's parents or significant others in health issues during the placement;
5. Any specific medical or other health interventions which may be required, including whether it is necessary for any invasive procedures to take place and how they will be undertaken;
6. The extent to which the child/young person is able to retain or self-administer medication, or requires support to do so;
7. Whether it is necessary for any immunisations to be carried out;
8. Any specific treatment or therapeutic interventions, strategies or remedial programmes required;
9. Any necessary preventative measures to be adopted;
10. Whether the child/young person (over the age of 16) is allowed to smoke and any measures agreed to reduce this behaviour;
11. Whether there are any illegal or other activities including self harming which it is known or suspected the child / young person is engaged in which may be harmful to the child/young person's health, and the interventions/strategies to be adopted in reducing or preventing the behaviour;
12. Whether the placement will contribute to any other health related assessments;
13. Whether the home will contribute to any health monitoring.

Information should also be given about any allergies. See also First Aid, Prescribed and Non Prescribed Medication Procedure and Provision and Preparation of Meals Procedure.

3. Designated Key Worker

One of the key responsibilities of the child/young person's Key Worker will be for promoting his/her health and educational achievement, liaising with key professionals, including the LAC Nurses, the child's GP, dental practitioner, optician and any other appropriate medical / education professional specific to the individual child/young person.

The Key Worker will also ensure that up-to-date information is kept on the child/young person in relation to his/her health needs, development, illnesses, operations, immunisations, allergies, medications – whether self-administered or otherwise, dates of appointments with GP's and specialists.

The Key Worker must also ensure the child is registered with a GP and other health care professionals as set out in Health Notifications and Access to Services Procedure.

Also see Key Worker Guidance.