Kontakt 2011, 13(1):48-53 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2011.007

Role of second-opinion physicians and case-workers in proceedings concerning contribution to careHealth and Social Sciences - Original article

Libuše Čeledová^*, Rostislav Čevela

Ministerstvo práce a sociálních věcí ČR, odbor posudkové služby

The article acquaints the reader with the course of proceedings concerning contributions to the care and assessment of the degree of the dependence, with the intention of the law on social services and particularly with the role and activities of case-workers and second-opinion physicians in proceedings concerning contributions to the care. General principles of the second-opinion medical activity are valid for the consideration of the health condition and degree of the dependence. The second-opinion medical activities are valid for the consideration of the health condition and degree of the dependence. The physician of the medical second-opinion service of the county administration of the social security (LPS OSSZ) starts from the health condition of a person documented by findings of the attending physician, from results of the social examination and determination of needs of the person or possibly from results of functional examinations and results of his/her own examination. The social examination is also an obligatory basis for the consideration of the dependence degree of a person for purposes of the contribution to the care, where the ability of the independent life of the person in the natural social environment is considered in terms of taking care of oneself and self-sufficiency. The target of the social examination is, however, not the determination of the dependence degree, but providing integral information for the physician of the county administration of the social security about an adverse social situation of the person considered.
The relationship of the social examination to the consideration of a long-term adverse health condition by the second-opinion physician is not sufficiently correctly used in practice when evaluating evidences for the administrative authority decision. The authors mention case reports demonstrating different results between examinations of the client by the case-worker and by the second-opinion physician. They conclusively emphasize the need for amendment of paragraph 25 Law No. 108/2006 Sb. On social services in wording of later regulations, which should determine that the social examination is a basis for a consideration of a long-term adverse health condition and in contrast to the still existing situation, where the social examination was an equivalent evidence for decisions of villages with extended competence on the dependence degree.

Keywords: contribution to care; dependence degree; law on social services

Received: November 2, 2010; Accepted: February 15, 2011; Published: March 28, 2011  Show citation