Patient needs to be at the centre of Continuing NHS Healthcare – according to National Assembly Committee

5 December 2013

Patients need to be at the centre of Continuing NHS Healthcare in Wales according to a new report from a National Assembly Committee.

The Public Accounts Committee found that the National Framework for Continuing NHS Healthcare (CHC), the guidelines the Welsh Government sets out for health services to follow, is inconsistently applied around the country and there is a lack of understanding among the general public over who is eligible for funding and how they can apply.

Continuing NHS Healthcare is a package of care and support that is provided to meet all of the assessed needs of an individual including physical, mental and personal care needs.

Health boards in Wales reported almost five and a half thousand people were in receipt of CHC as of end of March 2012.

Of particular concern to the Committee was the impact on patients and their families of delayed decisions relating to claims for CHC which could leave some facing financial hardship while claims are settled.

Part of the reason for this was put down to a shortage of staff employed to process claims which had created a backlog. The Welsh Government aims to clear the backlog within two years.

The Committee wants to see claims processed according to the circumstances of individuals and their families rather than the first-in-first-out system currently in place.

“People in need of Continuing NHS Healthcare deserve a system which works with them and for them so that they can concentrate on their treatment and support without unnecessary stresses or confusion,” said Darren Millar AM, Chair of the Public Accounts Committee.

“But the Committee has found a system being inconsistently applied across the country and one where individual and family budgets are being squeezed while claims are challenged or processed.

“We recognise that the Welsh Government has made some progress since a report on continuing healthcare was published by the Wales Audit Office earlier this year but we want more information on how ministers are going to improve the timeliness of decisions, improve consistency, and ensure a fair system in which people can access the care they need.”

The Committee makes 9 recommendations in its report including:

• The Welsh Government give consideration to prioritising claims according to the circumstances of individuals and families;

• That a proactive approach is needed to ensure information is provided to those who need it, enabling them to challenge decisions on eligibility. Such information should be clear and simple, and;

• That the Welsh Government provides the Public Accounts Committee with an interim progress update on the clearance of claims in March 2014 and also provides a further update in September 2014 following the June 2014 deadline.

Report: Implementation of the National Framework for Continuing NHS Healthcare