Recurring concern
Failure to provide timely and reliable carer assessments
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Request correctionFirst reported 16 Jan 2015•Latest report 17 Apr 2025
What this concern includes
Includes failures of the dedicated carer-assessment process, including failure to identify who should receive an assessment, offer or initiate an assessment when carer capacity concerns arise, complete the assessment, or undertake it within the required or clinically appropriate timeframe.
Not included
- Excludes generic carer support, communication, training or safeguarding deficiencies that do not specifically concern a carer assessment.
- Excludes failures to provide a care package, respite, accommodation or other support after an assessment has been completed unless the failure is part of the assessment process itself.
- Excludes patient, mental-capacity, child-safeguarding or clinical risk assessments that are not specifically carer assessments.
- Excludes generic delays in care planning or treatment where no failure of the carer-assessment process is identified.
- Reports
- 6
- Individual concerns
- 8
- Date range
- 2015–2025
- Stated actions
- 17
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised2
Failure to respond substantively to safeguarding and carer’s assessment referrals
Failure to conduct and document required review before downgrading referral priority
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.6
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Action
Increase safeguarding triage capacity and screen every alert before progressing qualifying referrals for further enquiry.
Stated by Essex County Council -
Action
Introduce carers practice guidance and core practice guidance covering assessments, reviews, support planning and safeguarding.
Stated by Essex County Council -
Action
Implement recommendations from the external end-to-end safeguarding-process review to improve safeguarding practice and the customer journey.
Stated by Essex County Council
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Action
Implement risk-priority matrices for carers’ assessments, reviews and safeguarding referrals.
Stated by Essex County Council -
Action
Conduct a scheduled audit of referral progression through allocation and consider issuing further guidance on priority decisions and allocation timescales.
Stated by Essex County Council -
Action
Refresh the Quality Assurance Framework and conduct eight annual audit cycles covering assessments, reviews, mental capacity and safeguarding, with findings reported to the Practice Governance Board.
Stated by Essex County Council
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Concerns raised1
Failure to offer a carers assessment in response to concerns about carer capacity
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
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Action
Remind staff to discuss carer self-referral or make carer-assessment referrals on carers’ behalf when concerns arise.
Stated by East London NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Update carer definitions, recording processes and frontline documentation under the borough’s established all-age Carers Strategy and delivery board.
Stated by London Borough of Newham -
Action
Roll out refresher carer-awareness training for all frontline adult social care staff.
Stated by London Borough of Newham
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Action
Develop guidance for frontline adult social care staff on informal and family carers and safeguarding adults.
Stated by London Borough of Newham
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Concerns raised1
Lack of criteria for identifying carers for early carer assessment
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
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Action
Add carer-assessment review and family-liaison checks to Home Treatment Team review checklists and caseload boards.
Stated by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Update clinical staff on carer-support resources and when to explore carers assessments.
Stated by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Add reminders about exploring carers assessments to clinical risk training.
Stated by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Include consideration and discussion of carers assessments in the caseload management tool.
Stated by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
Service capacity limits carers assessments to main carers, preventing assessments being offered to all carers.
Stated by Somerset NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to complete formal carer assessments
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Apply the Carers Policy and train staff on carers’ rights, assessments and related processes.
Stated by Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Review the Trust’s Carers Policy through the monthly Carers Committee.
Stated by Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Request monthly community mental health reports on carers’ assessments offered and accepted.
Stated by Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Delays in carer assessment during the patient treatment pathway
This report raised 4 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised2
Failure to make recommended carer’s assessment referrals
Difficulties in arranging cross-boundary carer’s assessment and service provision
This report raised 5 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Data last updated 7 September 2026