DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 21 January 2008
Consultation
begins on how best to improve information sharing across health,
social care and wider community support services
The assesment process for people who need health and social care
services should be quicker, simpler and more convenient -
that's the message from Care Services Minister Phil Hope as
he launched a consultation on streamlining the process today.
The consultation aims to create a more efficient and transparent
system of information sharing, to avoid patients having to answer
the same questions several times and ensure that people receive
the best quality care and support.
The Government is asking people to give their views on what
changes need to be made so that people get the services best
suited to their individual needs. It includes how best to safely
and securely share personal information across health and social
care services as well as wider community services such as housing.
The new system will reflect the fact that people are being given
the power to choose and commission their own care and support
services through recent reforms outlined in Putting People First.
Care Services Minister Phil Hope said:
"I know that it can be frustrating for patients when they
have to give the same information every time they contact
different services. So we need to make sure information can be
shared at the right time and in a secure and confidential way.
"This is especially important now that more and more people
are taking control of commissioning their own care. I want this
consultation to bring about real changes in the system, to make
our health and social care services work better around the needs
of service users."
The consultation, which is now open covers:
* how assessment and care planning should be undertaken (the principles);
* what information should be commonly shared;
* who that information might be shared with;
* proposals on the IT approach and solutions that would enable
this to happen nationally; and
* the issues around confidentiality and security arrangements
that this entails.
The consultation will run alongside a number of demonstrator
sites, local authority led partnerships who will work to test and
evaluate the practical changes that will need to be made and will
take into account people's feedback from the consultation. A
first wave of demonstrator sites is expected to start shortly, and
a call for interest in a second wave is expected in the summer.
Emerging evidence and good practice will be provided regularly
from the three year work of the demonstrator sites which will
evaluate evidence on benefits for patients, efficiency, and
cost-effectiveness across the system. This evidence will be used
to inform local developments and further national guidance.
Notes for Editors
1. The consultation period runs from 21 January 2009 to 17 April 2009.
2. Copies of the consultation documents can be accessed through:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/index.htm
- full consultation document
- summary of the consultation
document
- partial impact assessment
3. Public consultation events will be held:
22 January 2009 London
27 January 2009 Newcastle
29
January 2009 Nottingham
3 February 2009 London
5
February 2009 Manchester
11 February 2009 Bristol
17
February 2009 Leeds
19 February 2009 Birmingham
Places at the events can be booked via: http://networks.csip.org.uk/Personalisation/PersonalisationEvents/
4. The prospectus and call for interest for the Common assessment
Framework (CAF) demonstrator sites was issues in August 2007.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Lettersandcirculars/Dearcolleagueletters/DH_087164
5. The consultation and developments of a Common assessment
Framework for Adults supports the wider agenda of Putting People
First, the personalisation of services and social care transformation
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/SocialCare/Socialcarereform/index.htm