New documents and guidance on the national framework for NHS continuing healthcare

Since 1 October, commissioners and providers up and down the country have been getting to grips with the new 2018 version of the national framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS funded nursing care for deciding eligibility.

The new framework has provided welcomed clarity in a number of areas from setting out that the majority of CHC assessments should take place outside of acute hospital settings to clarifying that the main purpose of three and 12 month reviews is to review the appropriateness of the care package.

Since its publication, two further guidance documents have been published by the Department of Health and Social Care this month:

• Public guidance: NHS continuing healthcare and NHS funded nursing care – this guidance is for people who may be in need of ongoing care and support from health and social care professionals as a result of disability, accident or illness.
• Delayed Discharges (Continuing Care) (Amendment) Directions 2018 – these directions detail the duties on NHS trusts in relation to hospital discharge and NHS continuing healthcare.

In addition, a number of documents have been updated (so that they can be filled in online), including the checklist, decision support tool and fast track pathway tool designed to help clinicians and practitioners with the decision-making process. There is also an updated NHS funded nursing care best practice guidance document which takes into account legislative changes from the Care Act 2014, which preserves the existing boundary and limits of local authority responsibility for the provision of nursing and/or healthcare.

You can view the Department’s guidance documents here.

Do get in touch with Jill Weston if you would like to discuss any tricky CHC issues or would like us to run any training for your CCG.