Dear MtheGM;
If you are referring to me when you state
***Those who keep asserting that OTs from Social Services are the only people involved, anywhere, nationwide, & the NHS have nothing to do with it, clearly haven't read my last post. It obviously varies according to area. Round here, in Cambs, it is the District Nursing service, part of NHS, who are responsible. & a fine job they do too.***
then let me clarify. I worked in the NHS for nearly 20 years, including twice leading a team comissioning and setting up a service for the provision of equipment for care at home. You clearly haven't read my post either; I made it very clear that OTs are employed by both NHS and Social Services, and either could be involved in doing the assessment, depending on circumstances. The District Nurses in Cambridgeshire DO NOT hold the budget for equipment. They carry out assessments of need, and the equipment is provided by a service which is either wholly Social Services run (most often) or a joint Social Services/NHS operation (increasingly rare, as these hybrids don't work very well.) It could be argued that this District Nurse assessment system is not ideal, as research suggests that OT input is crucial in getting the solution right.
A wider point; there is an argument that this should all come under the control of the NHS, but this is not possible because of the largely artificial division between 'health' care (which is free) and 'social' care (which is means tested and not free). It's a nonsense; who is responsible for the split? Step forward former Thatcher pin-up boy John Moore, aided and abetted by current Shadow Cabinet member Ken Clarke.