Health and Social Care update from our work as Strategic Partner (SP) to the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England.
Disability Rights UK leads a user-led consortium as one of 23 strategic partners in the voluntary sector. This month’s update includes reflections on the Win-Win Alliance’s events and workplan (lead on commissioning ), and on how this will support local user-led organisations and finally news, plans and insights on addressing health inequalities and patients and service users driving integration and commissioning.
http://disabilityrightsuk.org/policy-campaigns/health-and-social-care-reforms
We have had our workplan for 2014-15 approved together with our consortium partners Shaping Our Lives and Change. Contact Bernd.Sass@disabilityrightsuk.org if you are interested in pursuing shared project ideas on peer support, pooling personal budgets or on how to get service users involved in commissioning and procurement across the cycle from start to finish.
Further news:
Complaints Guide and NHS Constitution easy read
The Department of Health has been developing two documents aimed at increasing the impact of the NHS Constitution:
- An easy read version of the NHS Constitution, to help to ensure that it is accessible to a range of audiences – The easy read has recently been published and is available online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-constitution-for-england.
- A short, simple guide on making complaints and giving feedback about NHS care, to sit alongside the NHS Constitution and help patients and the public understand how they can raise concerns if NHS care or services fall short of the standards in the NHS Constitution – The Department is inviting comments on a draft of this guide to ensure that it is as clear and helpful as possible for patients. We welcome as much feedback as possible. A draft of the guide and an online survey are at http://consultations.dh.gov.uk/nhs-constitution-team/bb33575d, and you can make comments until Monday 8 September 2014. If you have any questions, please email the NHS Constitution team at nhsconstitution@dh.gsi.gov.uk.
Making health and social care information accessible - launch of consultation on the draft accessible information standard
NHS England has committed to the development and implementation of a new ‘accessible information standard.’
The standard aims to establish a clear and consistent framework, and provide direction to the health and adult social care system, such that disabled patients, service users, carers and parents receive accessible information (such as correspondence in easy read, braille or via email) and communication support (such as a British Sign Language interpreter).
Following engagement activity to inform the development of the standard, a consultation has been launched. People with an interest in accessible information and those who will be required to implement the standard are invited to comment on the draft standard. This includes patients, service users and carers, health and care professionals and organisations, voluntary organisations, patient groups and communication professionals.
Please read the consultation document and tell them your views using their online survey, or visit the website to access information about the draft standard and the questions in an alternative format.
An update about progress to date with the project and next steps was published in late June, and is available here: http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/info-stand-summary-spring14.docx
More information is available at www.england.nhs.uk/accessibleinfo
We are involved in this workstream through our Strategic (consortium) partner Change who sit on the Advisory Group for the accessible information standard. The consultation closes on 9th November 2014.
Developing a national framework for local commissioning of community based support for people with learning disabilities
NHS England has asked Sir Stephen Bubb, the Chief Executive of charity leaders network Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO), to chair a steering group to develop recommendations for the development of a national framework for local commissioning of community based support for people with learning disabilities. This will specifically respond to the pledge set out in the Winterbourne View Concordat (http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/qual-clin-lead/wint-view-impr-prog/)
We will write to Sir Bubb to request that people with learning disabilities and their organisations will be involved in this.
NHS outcomes framework review
The Department of Health is asking for thoughts on current proposals and long term planning for the NHS outcomes framework. The document asks specific questions on 4 main areas of the framework:
- Mental health
- Children and young people
- Health inequalities
- Patient experience/safety
Feedback will be used to update and improve the NHS Outcomes Framework.
The NHS outcome framework measures performance in the health and care system and presents a national-level narrative on how the NHS in England is working. To read more, go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/nhs-outcomes-framework-review
The consultation closes on 12 September 2014.
Friends and Family Test (FFT) set for roll-out to all NHS Services
NHS England has taken the next step towards expanding the FFT to all NHS services by publishing comprehensive new guidance.
The implementation guidance contains advice and support materials, all of which have been compiled following an in-depth review of FFT which many parts of the NHS contributed to, as well as voluntary partners and the third sector.
From this December, the FFT will be available in GP practices, from January 2015 in mental health and community services and extended further on 1 April 2015, to NHS dental practices, ambulance services, patient transport, acute outpatients and day cases.
The roll out of the FFT will mean many more patients will have the opportunity to provide feedback on the services they have received, enabling the public to make better informed choices about the services they use. It also means providers will be able to design care services based on the feedback and around the needs of patients. It should also be borne in mind that the FFT is only one (short and pragmatic) means to obtain regular patient feedback. The Win-Win Alliance is paving the way for much wider and deeper participation in both commissioning and service delivery.
To read more on the FFT, go to: http://www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/pe/fft/fft-guidance/
Consultation - Care Act 2014: funding allocations for new adult social care duties
As part of the Care Act 2014 local authorities will be granted new duties. The Department of Health is asking for views on how the funding for 3 of these new duties will be allocated.
The 3 duties and funding available in financial year 2015 to 2016 are:
- additional assessments for the cap on care costs: £175 million
- universal deferred payment agreements: £108.5 million
- social care in prisons: £11.2 million
The consultation closes on 9th October 2014.
For more information and to give your views, go to: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/care-act-2014-funding-allocations-for-new-adult-social-care-duties
Payment system changes to encourage better care and financial efficiency
Monitor and NHS England are seeking views on proposed changes to the NHS payment system. The proposals for the 2015/16 national tariff are designed to help maintain financial discipline while promoting high quality care for patients in tough economic conditions and encourage a speedier expansion of innovative patterns of care to meet the needs of patients.
For more information, go to: http://www.england.nhs.uk/resources/pay-syst/ted-1516/
Patient choice: survey reveals more needs to be done
More than half of patients (51%) were aware of their legal right to choose a hospital or clinic for an outpatient appointment.
A similar proportion (53%) referred for an outpatient appointment first had a discussion with their GP about where to receive treatment. Fewer than two-fifths of patients, however, said they were offered a choice of hospital by their GP when being referred for an outpatient appointment.
These are some of the findings of a survey of more than 2,700 patients conducted for NHS England and Monitor, which is being published today.
It is important that patients, in consultation with their GPs, are offered their legal right to choose as set out in the NHS Constitution, particularly given the differences between hospitals on such things as waiting times. The survey also found that:
- people from black and minority ethnic groups were more likely to have discussed choice with their GP (66% compared with 52% of white patients) although they were less likely to be aware of their legal right beforehand (42% compared with 51% of white patients)
- people not currently working, including retired people, were more likely to be aware of their right to choose (55% compared with 46% of those who are working)
- people in rural areas were more likely both to be aware of their right and to have been offered a choice of provider for their care and treatment (45% compared with 36% of those in urban areas)
Most of those who were offered a choice felt that they had enough information to choose (89%), and were able to go to their preferred hospital or clinic (92%).
Ian Dodge, NHS England’s National Director for Commissioning Strategy, said:
While patient choice of first outpatient appointment is a reality for some patients in England, the challenge now is to ensure that everyone enjoys their legal right, for example to choose hospitals or clinics with shorter waiting times, if that’s what they want, in both mental health and physical health services.
Catherine Davies, Co-operation and Competition Director at Monitor, said:
This survey gives us some helpful insight into how patients have experienced choice in England. Some of these results are encouraging, and suggest that many GPs are having helpful conversations with patients about decisions that affect their care.
But it also suggests the NHS needs to do more to make sure patients are aware they have a choice and are offered that choice. We will continue in our efforts to make sure this happens, and to help patients feel involved and in control of their healthcare.
The Win-Win Alliance is actively trying to facilitate local peer support and peer navigation based at GPs and supported by national systems such as the new e-referral system.