Spectrum Star

Are you responsible for placing or reviewing Client care placements?

• Do you know how your clients are progressing within services?
• Are providers able to demonstrate how their care plans are supporting the clients’ individual needs?
• Are providers able to demonstrate ‘Value for Money’ and Outcomes
• Are clients actively involved in the care plans?

With reduced budgets and the need to provide visual results it is more important than ever that care providers are able to demonstrate value for money and display successful outcomes.  At Brookdale Care, we constantly strive to improve the information we can provide our commissioning authorities.  For individuals with Asperger syndrome we are often required to use the Mental Health HoNOS (Health of the Nation Outcome Scales), which, whilst this is a suitable tool for individual with a recoverable mental health condition, does not meet the complex nature of a pervasive developmental condition such as Autism and Asperger syndrome.

These were key driving forces behind the development of the Spectrum Star, an Outcome Measurement Tool specifically for individuals with Autism.

Clinicians and residents worked together to develop an outcome measurement tool that is specific to the Dyad of Impairments and the challenges individuals on the autistic spectrum often face.  The unique formation of the Star provides visual guidance and recognition on how the individual is working through their issues and areas that require further support.

The Spectrum Star enables Commissioning Authorities to see how the client is progressing.  They can identify what therapeutic interventions are supporting the client and see where the client requires more support to enable them to progress onto a lower level of care.  We use the Spectrum Star as a key tool in our client’s CPAs.

Clients have worked through the Spectrum Star with a keyworker identifying areas of ability and difficulties.  The Therapeutic team and client then use the Star to develop a person centred support plan that meets their actual needs.  The Star is reviewed every 6 months (recommended) to see how the client is progressing in the 9 key areas.  We have found that clients are proud to take their Star to their CPA to demonstrate their progress and prove that they are achieving something.

Throughout the development process clinicians worked with individuals in hospital and residential care services to develop a tool that is:

• understood by the individual living with Autism
• easy to use by keyworkers
• covers the key issues relevant to people living with Autism
• promotes discussion between the resident and keyworker on how they feel they are progressing
• focuses a care plan to areas that the individual requires support