How to fill this in
- Write what happened, not what you think it proves. Description beats argument.
- Use numbers. Four times a night, twenty five minutes, two people, three days out of seven.
- Date everything. A dated example is worth a page of adjectives.
- Record the range. The best hour and the worst hour of the same day, and say which is which.
- Include what happens without help, and what happens when help arrives late or not at all.
- Do not tidy it up. The tidied version is the one that gets underestimated.
The seven day record
Day 1
- Date
- Overnight: what was needed, how many times, how long
- Morning: what was needed, and how many people
- Through the day: what changed, and when
- Evening and bedtime
- Equipment used, and who checks it
- Anything that went wrong, or nearly did, and what was done about it
- Was this a typical day, a good day or a bad day?
Day 2
- Date
- Overnight: what was needed, how many times, how long
- Morning: what was needed, and how many people
- Through the day: what changed, and when
- Evening and bedtime
- Equipment used, and who checks it
- Anything that went wrong, or nearly did, and what was done about it
- Was this a typical day, a good day or a bad day?
Day 3
- Date
- Overnight: what was needed, how many times, how long
- Morning: what was needed, and how many people
- Through the day: what changed, and when
- Evening and bedtime
- Equipment used, and who checks it
- Anything that went wrong, or nearly did, and what was done about it
- Was this a typical day, a good day or a bad day?
Day 4
- Date
- Overnight: what was needed, how many times, how long
- Morning: what was needed, and how many people
- Through the day: what changed, and when
- Evening and bedtime
- Equipment used, and who checks it
- Anything that went wrong, or nearly did, and what was done about it
- Was this a typical day, a good day or a bad day?
Day 5
- Date
- Overnight: what was needed, how many times, how long
- Morning: what was needed, and how many people
- Through the day: what changed, and when
- Evening and bedtime
- Equipment used, and who checks it
- Anything that went wrong, or nearly did, and what was done about it
- Was this a typical day, a good day or a bad day?
Day 6
- Date
- Overnight: what was needed, how many times, how long
- Morning: what was needed, and how many people
- Through the day: what changed, and when
- Evening and bedtime
- Equipment used, and who checks it
- Anything that went wrong, or nearly did, and what was done about it
- Was this a typical day, a good day or a bad day?
Day 7
- Date
- Overnight: what was needed, how many times, how long
- Morning: what was needed, and how many people
- Through the day: what changed, and when
- Evening and bedtime
- Equipment used, and who checks it
- Anything that went wrong, or nearly did, and what was done about it
- Was this a typical day, a good day or a bad day?
One prompt for each of the 12 care domains
These are the subject areas the assessment covers. No levels or scores appear here, and nothing you write in this list decides anything. Answer in your own words, or leave a domain blank if it does not apply.
Breathing
Describe breathing on an ordinary day. When is it worse, and what happens then?
Nutrition: food and drink
Walk through meals and drinks on an ordinary day. Who does what, and how long does each take?
Continence
Describe an ordinary day and night for the toilet. How many times, and who helps?
Skin and tissue viability
Describe the skin as it is now, and what is done for it each day.
Mobility
Describe every move on an ordinary day, from waking to bed. Who helps with each one?
Communication
How do they let someone know what they need? Describe how it actually happens.
Psychological and emotional needs
Describe mood across an ordinary week. What is a good day, and what is a bad one?
Cognition
Describe what memory is like now, with something that actually happened.
Behaviour
Describe what happens, in plain terms, using a recent example.
Drug therapies and medication: symptom control
List what is given on an ordinary day, at what times, and who gives it.
Altered states of consciousness
Describe an episode from start to finish, using the most recent one.
Other significant care needs
Is there anything you do, or watch for, that none of the questions so far have asked about?
Who decides, and what happens next
A Checklist may be completed first to decide whether a full assessment happens. If it goes forward, a multidisciplinary team completes the Decision Support Tool and the integrated care board makes the eligibility decision. Your record is information for that process, and the guidance expects the views and knowledge of family members and representatives to be taken into account where consent to share information has been given. Source: Department of Health and Social Care, NHS continuing healthcare decision support tool guidance, last updated 27 October 2022.