DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service. 19 January 2009
-New guidance
helps commissioners to put patients in the driving seat-
New guidance to help NHS and local authority commissioners ensure
that people with long term conditions are more involved in
decisions about their illness and treatment, has been issued by
the Department of Health today.
The document, Supporting People With Long Term Conditions:
Commissioning Personalised Care Planning, will help the Government
achieve its goal that by 2010 every one of the 15 million people
with a long term condition will be offered a personalised care plan.
The guidance explains how NHS and social care services can
provide personalised care and services for people with long term
conditions, this includes:
* Promoting choice and control by putting the patient at the
centre of the care planning process
* Focusing on setting goals that people want to achieve such as
returning to work or living independently
* Sharing information with people so that they can be involved in
decisions about their care
* Providing support for people to self care/self manage their conditions
* Integrating health and social care agencies for more joined up working
The guidance document advises that following a care planning
discussion between NHS or social care staff and a patient with a
long term condition, a care plan is written to bring together all
patient information. The care plan would be accessible to both
the patient and NHS, or social care staff and would record that
the discussion include any goal setting and shared decision making.
Health Minister Ann Keen said,
"As a former nurse, I know how much it means to patients to
be involved in decisions about their illness and treatment
"Personalised care planning will help ensure that patients
with a long term condition are given more choice about their
treatment and that their care is tailored according to their
individual needs. "As Lord Darzi set out in the Next Stage
Review, the Government is committed to an NHS that gives patients
greater involvement in planning their care."
The guidance document has been informed by the NHS Next Stage
Review consultation and the Your Health, Your Care, Your Say
consultation on community services and shaped by around 80
stakeholders in health, social care, third sector and patient
representative groups.
Douglas Smallwood, Chief Executive of Diabetes UK said,
"Care planning is key to delivering the services and support
needed by people with long term conditions, such as diabetes, to
self-manage their condition in partnership with their care teams.
"Diabetes UK welcomes this guidance as a means of supporting
commissioners to ensure that the individual priorities are
identified, agreed and services are made available to meet these
needs, thereby developing the personalised and integrated services required."
Notes to Editors
1. Supporting People With Long Term Conditions: Commissioning
Personalised Care Planning Is available online at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Healthcare/Longtermconditions/DH_093359
2. For media enquiries, please call the Department of Health
Media Centre on 020 7210 5221
3. Personalised care planning supports key themes described in
Putting People First (Transforming Adult Social Care) and the NHS
Next Stage Review High Quality Care for All including:
* More individualised services
* More focus on prevention of disease and complications
* Greater choice - including supporting people to make healthier
and more informed choices
* Reducing health inequalities
* Providing care closer to home