1.1 Describe different types of decisions that you are required to make within your role and when they need to be made.

Decision Making for Leaders of Adult Social Care Services

This unit will develop your knowledge of effective decision making to improve quality and outcomes.  You will look at different types of decisions you will need to make, how data support decision-making to improve quality and how to support others to contribute to decision making processes

ANALYSE - to study or examine something in detail (looking at all the component parts of the whole) to discover more about it, i.e., what works well, what does not, how is it beneficial.

A conclusion could follow - what possible changes can be made as an improvement.

EVALUATE - to judge or calculate the quality, importance, or value of something: i.e., why this is used, what purpose or value does it have, does it fulfil its purpose.

A conclusion could follow – to continue with the item, discontinue it, or suggest possible changes

Guidance

Types of decisions may include but are not limited to strategic, tactical, operational, short term and long term

Individuals: a person accessing care and support.

Others, in this context, can include:

• carers, loved ones, family, friends of those accessing care and support services
• colleagues and peers
• team members
• managers and supervisors
• professionals from other services, including delivery partners and senior leaders
• visitors to the work setting
• members of the community
• volunteers

Example Answer

1.1 Describe different types of decisions that you are required to make within your role and when they need to be made.

In an adult social care setting, decision-making occurs at multiple levels, encompassing strategic, tactical, and operational choices. Strategic decisions involve long-term planning and policy-making, such as shaping care provision models or implementing new regulatory frameworks. These are typically made in collaboration with senior leadership and external stakeholders to ensure compliance with national care standards.

Tactical decisions focus on medium-term objectives, such as modifying staff training programmes to align with evolving best practices or revising service delivery methods to accommodate demographic changes. These decisions are often based on feedback from service users and frontline staff.

Operational decisions are immediate and practical, addressing day-to-day challenges within the care environment. Examples include adjusting staff rotas to accommodate unexpected absences, responding to safeguarding concerns, or implementing infection control measures. These decisions need to be made promptly to maintain service continuity and ensure the wellbeing of individuals accessing care.

Additionally, leaders must make short-term reactive decisions, such as crisis interventions in emergency situations, and long-term proactive decisions, like developing workforce succession plans to address skills shortages. The ability to distinguish between these decision types and act accordingly is critical for ensuring high-quality care outcomes.

1.2 Explain the role of data, information, and intelligence in making evidence-based decisions to improve quality.

Informed decision-making in adult social care relies on robust data, information, and intelligence to ensure that choices are evidence-based rather than speculative. Data refers to raw statistics, such as service user demographics, incident reports, and staffing levels. Information emerges when data is processed and structured—for example, trends in falls within a care home or patterns of hospital readmissions. Intelligence goes a step further, offering insights derived from analysis, enabling leaders to identify root causes and predict future service demands.