title: Wasting time?
abstract: In February the Department of Health launched guidance designed to help local health and social care agencies introduce a single assessment for older people. Although the concept of a single assessment is set out in more detail in the National Service Framework for Older People, the overall aim, according to the Department of Health (2002) is to: 'Ensure that older people receive appropriate, effective and timely responses to their health and social care needs, and that professional resources are used effectively. In pursuit of these aims, the single assessment process should ensure that the scale and depth of assessment is kept in proportion to older people's needs; agencies do not duplicate each other's assessments; and professionals contribute to assessments in the most effective way.'
authors.affiliation: The Health Services Management Centre, University of Birmingham.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Glasby