Recording and Measuring Outcomes

Key points

• Recording (plans / case notes) takes time and often responds to different demands
• Including what matters to people does not require extra time and there are resources to support this
• Recording outcomes with people can help to build trust and relationships
• ‘Measuring’ outcomes can be required for planning, reporting and commissioning purposes and should flow from recording rather than driving decisions
• There is useful learning about possibilities and limits of measurement and outcomes

Recording is an essential task in human services. It clarifies purpose and can support effective partnership with people who use services. Recording is also necessary for planning, monitoring and reviewing progress. What matters to people should be part of the record.  However, other pressures mean that what matters sometimes gets lost in recording.

Our new video on recording outcomes is based on a discussion with two practitioners (Eilidh Shearer from Includem and Keri Llewellyn from All Care Wales) who tell us about using recording to support practice in various ways including to clarify purpose, to capture the voices of individuals and families and for transparency.

Social Care Wales recently published a resource to support meaningful, outcome focused recording. Short videos summarising this resource will be available soon.

The Care Inspectorate in Scotland have just published their new adult personal planning resource

Meaningful and Measurable

The ESRC funded Meaningful and Measurable project involved 8 health and social care organisations in Scotland & Wales. We collectively identified 5 criteria for outcomes focused recording.

An earlier guide on recording outcomes from 2011 illustrates some common errors and solutions Recording Outcomes in Care and Support

Measuring outcomes can be challenging but there is learning about what works.

Traditional approaches to measurement do not necessarily fit with personal outcomes, as signaled in the following resources.  Our collection of briefings from the Meaningful and Measurable project covers diverse aspects of our collective learning about measuring outcomes

This resource from NHS England looks at different approaches to personal outcomes in health settings:

Resources produced with Iriss

In 2011 we worked with Iriss to produce an evidence summary (and animation) on the challenges of measuring outcomes. In 2013 we collaborated on a guide to measuring outcomes and the role of qualitative data.

Presentations from our recording and measuring outcomes workshop

The quarterly event of the Personal Outcomes Network in February 2020 focused on recording and measuring outcomes. The following presentations are from that day:

• Louise Bowen, Iriss with East Ayrshire social work staff on Recording practice
• Julie Kidd, integration division, Scottish Government on measures in partnerships: A snapshot of people based measures in HSCPs-1
• Sally Boa on progressing person centred goals in Strathcarron hospice: What’s important to me?
• Yousaf Kanan, Scottish Government on a vision for national social care data National Social Care data a future blueprint
• Yvonne Manson from Abbotsford Care on recording experiences of people with dementia Frameworks dementia records