
The following illustration may help:
As an experienced care manager for older people, I regularly commission additional services for my service users who are struggling to care for themselves in the community. I have the authority to commission services which will reduce the need for residential care and hospital admissions. To do this, I work closely with other professionals in the health service to coordinate our joint care of older people. This enables me to save money in the longer term, since admission to care or hospital is very expensive. Saving money like this means that scarce resources go further, particularly for those in greatest need. My authority has set aside a budget for community care services and that budget is always under pressure. I know I therefore have to get value for money whilst also supporting service users. I am careful to ensure that I accurately complete the appropriate administrative processes for each service user, since getting it right first time is more efficient overall. I always help my colleagues do the same. I also recognise that there is greater scrutiny of community care services in society as a whole and there have been some notable incidents in the press involving the abuse of older people (BBC News 5th October 2013, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24399139). This makes my service users more anxious and I have to take time to alleviate their anxieties. At the same time I try to operate transparently, by taking time to explain verbally and in writing what I am doing and what I am going to do, so that carers and other relatives can see exactly what I am doing and how I am making decisions. They have a right to be reassured about what happens in my authority. I represent the authority to people and I take that responsibility seriously. It is important that I involve service users and carers in the process. To do so upholds the values and ethics in my profession (BASW (2012), The Code of Ethics for Social Work, Birmingham).