This article is an extract from a longer article written by Clare Barber, Director and OT at TACT based on her experience across many years of involvement in Trusted Assessor programmes. Click HERE to read the full text.
WHAT IS A TRUSTED ASSESSOR?
The role of Trusted Assessor resulted from a Department of Health project in 2005. The aim of the project was to reduce waiting times to get community equipment to service users more quickly and efficiently. The Trusted Assessor role and its competencies were defined along with guidance on when cases should be referred on to an OT.
Later in 2018 a pilot project was set up to apply the equivalent approach to reducing waiting lists for DFGs by enabling simple needs assessments for non-complex cases for major adaptations to be conducted by appropriately trained Trusted Assessors. The training course Trusted Assessors: Assessing and Adapting the Home, accredited at level four was created and rolled out.
SUPPORTING TRUSTED ASSESSORS
In TACT’s experience, completing a course and being signed as competent from a theory perspective is not enough to ensure strong and competent Trusted Assessors in the field. Ongoing support and supervision for the first six to twelve months is ideal.
1. ASSIGN A MENTOR
It is strongly recommended that all Trusted Assessors have an assigned mentor or experienced assessor (preferably an Occupational Therapist who is a band 6 or above) to turn to for advice to help embed their learning into practice. Supervisors can answer any questions and shadow assessments whilst the Trusted Assessor builds confidence.
2. USE A COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK
A competency framework is a document outlining the skills needed to be held to successfully complete a role such as a Trusted Assessor. These are used to observe and ‘sign off’ an area of competence once theory is observed to be embedded in practice.
3. USE A RANGE OF CHECKLISTS AND TEMPLATES
Having a standard template for use in assessments with prompts on things to consider may really help to support a new Trusted Assessor in their role. These should be designed to tie in with local policies, guidelines and practice and to link directly to the learning in any training they have completed.
4. THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD COMMUNICATION
It is important that managers are clear with their team of Trusted Assessors about what is expected of them.
Make sure as a manager that staff are confident and comfortable and that they clearly understand their duties and responsibilities.
5. PROVIDE ONGOING SUPPORT
Having a mentor is a great step to helping to embed learning and help Trusted Assessors to build confidence and competence in their new role. There are a range of other ways to support them. Consider regular formal supervision, appraisals, team meetings and peer support opportunities in which Trusted Assessors can share tips, insights and share best practice. Try pairing up those with more technical skills with those who are more people-focused to share experiences. Give rewards for good progress and outstanding performance.
Allow Trusted Assessors more time initially to get used to the new way of working and understand that we are all different, every individual has a different preferred style of learning and will follow a different route to achieving competence in the role, once approach will not suit everyone.
6. THINK ABOUT WELL-BEING AND RESOURCES
It is important to consider the health and safety of the team. Being asked to complete new tasks that may not be a natural skill for the individual can invoke stress and cause anxiety. For example: a person that has previously had limited contact with service users is now expected to communicate and interact on a personal level.
Make sure Assessors are given all the resources they need to succeed and check in on them regularly to ensure their continued wellbeing.
7. SUPERVISION IS IMPORTANT
Regular supervision by an appropriate person is essential to new Trusted Assessors. They have probably learned a range of new skills, been asked to change their way of working, all of this may be unfamiliar. Ensure there is protected one to one time with their manager to review the new role and practices and this will ensure they grow into the role.
Regular supervision will also help identify any further learning needs, enabling the staff member to feel properly supported and this also helps to reduce potential risks to service users caused by poor assessments.
8. RESOURCES AND INFORMATION TO SUPPORT THE ROLE
It is important to keep Trusted Assessors fully up to date with the latest information and best practice. You can do this by providing regular refresher training and attending relevant external events such as Foundations roadshows, the OT Show, NAEP Conference and meetings and the regional Occupational Therapy Adaptations Conferences (OTAC). Consider creating a knowledge base to share skills and useful information and think about appointing champions to help engage and encourage continuous learning.
Some training providers also provide useful guides, so take advantage of these and share them with all Trusted Assessors.
9. NETWORKING TO SHARE IDEAS
There are so many opportunities to network in this new virtual and actual in-person world. Reach out to other organisations like yourself and share information on projects and lessons learnt to compare experiences and insights.
Share your stories more generally, and use the expert networks that exist locally and nationally to help everyone improve.
ONGOING REVIEW
One of the most important things about implementing a Trusted Assessor programme is reviewing the outcomes, collecting feedback and making ongoing improvements.
Consider, have you achieved what it was you
set out to achieve? What could you have done differently? What went well? What could you do to achieve better outcomes in the future? Involve all stakeholders in the process, include staff, service users, external teams, charity and voluntary teams and share your findings.
TALK TO US
TACT’s programme managers and OTs are passionate about the ways in which Trusted Assessors and related roles such as Installers, Advisors and many others can improve access for older and disabled people to much-needed equipment and adaptations for the home.
We are happy to have a no-obligation chat with you to share our insights, answer questions and act as an independent sounding board. We often take part in meetings and workshops and we are happy to contribute from an early stage in your early thinking.
More specifically, we can offer a range of support and resources for your programmes including many of the items mentioned in Clare’s article: assessment templates, competency checklists, supervision schemes, useful guides.
GET IN TOUCH.
Tel: +44 (0)1626 879 528
Email: info@trustedassessing.com
Web: www.trustedassessing.com/contact-us
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