Working with Individual Plans: users' perspectives on the challenges and conflicts of users' needs in health and social services

Abstract

In Norway, an Individual Plan (IP) is a statutory right and a tool for cooperation between the client in need of long-term, coordinated services and the public services. This study analyses the explicit needs of users, how the various actors in the IP process met these needs, as seen from the users' perspective, and, finally, how disability influenced the outcomes. Participants expressed physical, psychological and social needs. These needs were similar for persons with physical or psychiatric health conditions, or for persons with an innate or acquired disability. However, time elapsed since a disability had been acquired did make a difference. The municipality or district of residence, the administrative and legislative boundaries, the interpretation of those and the coordinators' position within the hierarchy of the system all affected how well users' needs were met, indicating the existence of tension. This tension between the external conditions or framework of services and user participation may be an explanatory factor for the slow implementation of IPs.

Continuity of home-based care for persons with dementia from formal and family caregivers’ perspective

“…Cancer research shows that formal caregivers do not practice IP, and three barriers to IP are identified: a) formal caregivers' knowledge about their duty to inform and facilitate IP, b) formal caregivers' knowledge about collaboration networks within care, and c) allocation of time to perform the necessary administrative work (Saegrov, 2015). Several researchers have made conclusions about barriers such as organizational constraints and staff's (lack of) competence (Hansen, 2007;Holum, 2012b;Langhammer et al, 2013;Lidal & Røhme, 2006). One study showed that the administrative level in municipalities is fairly involved, indicating management's low interest in IP work (Berven, Ludvigsen, Christensen, & Nilssen, 2013).…”