CareCubed Procedure

1. The Purpose of CareCubed

CareCubed is a secure online tool developed and managed by the Improvement and Efficiency Social Enterprise (iESE), a not-for-profit social enterprise organisation.

Its purpose is to:

Provide a consistent method of determining care needs; and
Align those needs to an appropriate cost for care based on local market data; so that
The Local Authority and care provider can negotiate a fair price for specialist services.

2. Practice Guidance to use CareCubed

CareCubed can only be used by practitioners who have been trained in its use.

The tool should be used in line with local requirements.

iESE guidance

As product developers the Improvement and Efficiency Social Enterprise (iESE) will provide comprehensive training to enable practitioners to effectively use CareCubed.

iESE can be contacted via e-mail at carecubed@iese.org.uk if training is required.

3. CareCubed Aide Memoire

During a skilled conversation to establish needs or review a Care and Support Plan you will be asking the person (or their representative) a range of questions. By asking some key supplementary questions you can gather information for the CareCubed tool at the same time.

This will:

Avoid the need for unnecessary duplication;
Help reduce any anxiety felt by the person about the CareCubed process; and
Reduce administrative burdens.

The table sets out some of the supplementary questions that can be asked if:

The person is known to have needs in that area; and
The question is relevant to their particular needs and circumstances.

Topic	Supplementary questions
Communication difficulties	Do you need any specific support with communication (e.g., to replace batteries, place items on charge, setting up of a TEACHH board each morning/week, support to undertake SALT recommended activities)? How often do you need this support and how long does it take? Do you share this support with anyone else?
Your home and living situation	How many people do you live with? Are there any spare rooms/vacancies? Is the building detached? How many staff support you here? Do you share staff with others? Do you know how many hours you have for 1:1 support? Are night staff awake or asleep? Do you know what time staff start in the mornings and finish in the evenings? Is there a manager here all the time?
Maintaining your home environment	How often are you supported to undertake different household tasks? How long do different tasks take? Do you have good and bad days, or are you fairly consistent in what you can do?
Finances	How often do you have support with your finances-banking, paying bills, budgeting? How long does it take to get to the bank? Do you claim benefits-does anyone help you with this?
Shopping	How often do you need support to go shopping and how much support do you need? Does it vary? Do you have your own support or share with others? How do you get to the shop and how long does it take? How long do you spend at the shop normally? Do you need support to write a shopping list? How long does this take? Do you unpack your own shopping? How long does it take? Do you always go to the same shop?
Preparing meals and drinks	Do you make meals from scratch or do you use ready meals? Do you go anywhere in the day that means you do not need support to make your own meals/drinks e.g., a day centre or out with friends? How long does it take you to make a drink/snack/meal with support? Can you carry your drink/snack/meal to the table? Can you tidy your dishes/cup away afterwards? If not, how are you supported and how long do these things take?
Eating and drinking	How long does it take you to be supported to eat/drink? If you use any equipment, do you need support to get it ready/clean it/ tidy it away? Does the length of time vary or remain consistent?
Using the toilet	How long would you say you need support for each time you use the toilet? Is this quite consistent or is it sometimes more/less support? Do you ever need support overnight?
Personal hygiene	Do you need support to brush your teeth? If so, how often do you brush your teeth? How often do you need support to shave, clean your ears, cut your nails, wash your face, style your hair, apply make up? How many people support you to do these things, and how long does it take?
Showering/bathing	How long does it take to shower/bathe and what support do you have? How often do you shower/bathe? Are there any times you need more support than normal or where you need to shower/bathe more often than normal? If you need support to get dried and dressed how long does this take?
Mobility	How long does it take for you to get around your home with support? What about getting upstairs or into the garden? How long do transfers take? If you have pressure areas how long does it take to maintain them/prevent them and how often?
Social relationships and activities	How often do you need support to go out? Do you always have 1:1 support or is it sometimes shared-if so between how many? What kind of things do you do-is it a regular timetable or does it vary? How long are you normally out for? How often do you have support with activities at home? How long for each time? Is it shared with others-how many? Do you ever go anywhere where you do not need support-how often? E.g., to family, day centre.
Work, education	If you need support to work or take part in education how long do you need support for each time? Is support only required at certain times of the year? What happens outside of this?
Staying safe-unless this is support unrelated to any of the other domains it has likely been covered already.	What support do you have to help you stay safe specifically? Advice, prompts? Do you need support at home, in the community or overnight? How much time is spent supporting you to stay safe?
Mental well -being	How often would you say you need support with your mental health and well-being? How long does it take to provide the support you need? Does it vary? How does it vary? Do you access any professional support? How often? Do you need help to get to appointments? How is this provided? How long does it take to get to and from these appointments? Is it 1 person that supports you or more/less?
Health	How often would you say you need support to see health professionals? Are these all NHS health professionals? What support do you need? How long does it take? If you need support with seizures how regularly do you need support? Do you take a long time to recover from a seizure? Do you need someone to be with you while you recover?
Medication	How many people do you need to support you with medication? How long does it take to support you with your medication each time? How often do you have to take medication outside of your normal routine?

See the Resources to Support Specialist Teams and Procedures section of the tri.x Resources for a downloadable version of the aide memoir.

4. Funding Decisions

Subsequent funding decisions should be made with full regard for the information gathered during the CareCubed assessment.