As part of the Government’s response to COVID19, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCG) suspended NHS Continuing Healthcare activity so that support could be given to local frontline NHS services responding to the pandemic.
The emergency period ran from 19 March 2020 – 31 August 2020 and during this time NHS Dorset CCG suspended NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments.
On 1 September 2020 NHS Dorset CCG restarted NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments in line with guidance issued by the Government which can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reintroduction-of-nhs-continuing-healthcare
In addition to restarting assessments, NHS Dorset CCG is also required to review individuals who were unable to have an assessment for NHS Continuing Healthcare during the emergency period.
This is known as a ‘C19 Deferred Assessment’. There are 2 categories of individuals who require a C19 assessment:
- Individuals who were awaiting an assessment prior to the emergency period; and
- Individuals who were identified during the emergency period as needing consideration for NHS Continuing Healthcare
NHS Dorset CCG, together with its Local Authority partners Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council and Dorset Council, will be undertaking these assessments from the end of November 2020 and they will be completed in chronological order. The Government has advised that all assessments should be completed by 31 March 2021, with individuals informed of how their care will be funded as soon as the assessment has been completed.
Due to the large number of individuals from the deferred period requiring an assessment or consideration for NHS Continuing Healthcare over the next four months, NHS Dorset CCG has appointed CHS Healthcare to undertake this work on our behalf. CHS Healthcare is a national organisation that works with the NHS to support NHS Continuing Healthcare processes and has successfully worked with NHS Dorset CCG in the past on a similar project. Further information can be found here:
An assessment or consideration for NHS Continuing Healthcare also requires the involvement of Adult Social Care services from the Local Authority. To do this, Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council and Dorset Council have appointed Attenti Consulting to participate in CHC assessments on their behalf. Attenti is an organisation that provides specialist consultancy support to health and social care throughout the UK. Further information can be found here:
https://www.attenti-consulting.co.uk/
Staff from Attenti Consulting, supported by Local Authority colleagues from both Councils where necessary, will work alongside CHS Healthcare.
Over the coming months CHS Healthcare will be getting in touch with those people affected to discuss the next steps of the process. CHS will advise on what information they will need from individuals or their nominated representative as well as professionals including GPs, district nursing teams and social workers and others who are significantly involved in their care and support. This will enable CHS to consider whether someone may have a need for CHC. CHS will notify individuals in writing whether a full assessment of eligibility for CHC is considered necessary.
For the assessment and consideration processes to take place and to adhere to Government guidelines regarding the COVID19 pandemic, all communication will be via email, telephone or video conference. CHS Healthcare will assign a single professional who will be responsible for coordinating the process and will have dedicated administrative staff to liaise with individuals and their representatives, and with colleagues from Attenti, BCP and Dorset Councils.
If people have any questions or concerns, or just want some more information, then please contact the Personal Health Commissioning team at PHCDeferredAssessments@Dorsetccg.nhs.uk