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On 1st April, 2013, NHS transferred a few responsibilities for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care to Clinical Commissioning Groups. To take account of the new responsibilities, a revised version of the 2009 National Framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care was published to be effective from 1st April, 2013. Social and health care professionals can use the following terms to describe support from the NHS: Continuing NHS and social care: Such care is available in a range of settings and involves services from the NHS and social service Continuing care: Such term is used to describe the care provided over a period of time to meet physical and mental health due to an accident or illness NHS continuing healthcare: It is a complete package of continuous care arranged and funded by the NHS. What is NHS continuing healthcare? It is a package of care funded solely by the health service in England for individual aged 18 years and above to meet mental and physical health needs that may have arisen because of accident, disability or illness. If you are supposed to receive care in your home, the NHS funds the right care package to meet your health and personal care needs. Also if your parents are planning to stay in a care home, the NHS contracts with the care home and pays for accommodation to meet the assessed health and personal care needs. From where does NHS continuing healthcare to receive funds? The Clinical Commissioning Group manages the entire process and makes decisions about the NHS CHC eligibility of patients. They are also responsible for funding and arranging for care packages provided if the individual is eligible to receive personal health budget. Who are the eligible individuals for the NHS continuing healthcare? The criteria to become eligible for the NHS continuing healthcare do not depend on the nature of the disease and conditions. The decisions are needs based as well as whether your need for care is mainly because of health issues. This is called primary health needs. There are a few characteristics they consider while assessing the individual health needs: Intensity: The severity and the extent of an individual’s need and regular intervention to manage them Unpredictability: Unexpected changes in the health conditions that are difficult to manage and require special care Nature: The type of the individual’s physiological, mental and physical need and the overall effect on their health and wellbeing Complexity: The types of health complications of an individual that require special attention and skills to monitor the symptoms are considered. The above mentioned characteristics determines as who are the eligible candidates to receive an urgent package of NHS CHC. How does the NHS relate to the National Framework? The National Framework for NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care is a department of health policy document. It established clear processes and principles to be followed throughout the England for determining eligibility for NHS continuing healthcare. In addition, it also explains the interaction between the assessment for NHS-funded nursing care and NHS continuing healthcare. The National Framework aims to improve the transparency and minimise local interpretation of the decision making process by providing guidance to be followed in the assessment process. Moreover, they also provide national assessment process and three important tools to support the decision making- Fast Track Tool Decision Support Tool Checklist Tool. The NHS organisation reported that investments in understanding patient’s experience and providing support to the staff at all levels are essential to bring in a real change in the healthcare culture. This cultural change involves routinely focus on listening and actively acting on patient’s feedback. About the Author - Pavia Grayson is a recruitment counsellor. She is also a freelance writer who writes on various topics like nursing jobs, latest updates on NHS and so on. She takes inspiration from meridians business support- the recruitment specialist while writing on these topics.
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