Preparation - What this means for Michaela

Preparation for the Process:

The GP is worried that Michaela needs more support - and knows that if she refers to somewhere else she is unlikely to take part in personal care and support planning.

Michaela is not positive about the help she has (not) received previously, so the GP takes the opportunity to introduce personal care and support planning to Michaela as a way to get more support at home and contact with community services, which she has liked in the past.

The GP mentions that she will probably be able to decide how the money she is entitled to is used to help her and says there is a new person in the practice who can come to her home to collect some of the information that may be needed to work out what Michaela would like to achieve.

Preparation by the Practitioner:

The GP asks Michaela if she can check her blood pressure and take a blood test before she leaves - as Michaela can't wait any longer she does it herself.

She demonstrates to Michaela which inhaler is more likely to be helpful in the immediate future and checks she has an up to date one - reassuring her she can come back if her chest get worse.

She then finds out from Michaela which agencies she has been in contact with recently and asks for permission to contact them herself. When this is available she checks with the social care member of the team what they are likely to need to assess for eligibility for a personal budget. She also asks the social care member to summarise what is working and not working from her perspective with the practice 'mental health worker,' who she asks to visit Michaela (at a time and place that suits Michaela).

On her return from this visit she has new information (including that Michaela is getting more anxious and is 'cutting') - so the GP contacts the local mental health team to ask for additional advice.

Preparation by Michaela:

Michaela sits down with the mental health worker at home who reinforces the information she has been given and explains personal care and support planning in detail. The mental health worker also helps her complete the reflective sheets, beginning the process of identifying what is important to her, what is working and not working for her and her priorities.

They complete the check list that the GP, mental health services and social care need to check eligibility for a person budget.