Definition
The time a person spends receiving one particular type of care for a specific condition. For example, a stay in a hospital as an inpatient may count as a single episode of care
The bigger picture
Care is described – and measured – in ‘episodes’. ‘Episodes of social care support’. ‘Brief episodes of care’. ‘Planned and unplanned hospital episodes’. ‘Episodes of respite care’. This language is clinical and transactional and reflects a lack of any kind of relationship or continuity.
The ‘People at the heart of care and support’ white paper recognises that ‘the health and care system too often treats discrete episodes of mental or physical illness rather than considering a person’s care needs holistically.
Saying it differently
Use with caution.