SCCI Statement of Need - Care Plans in the paperless NHS

Overview

This consultation is now closed. Please see the Results section at the bottom of this page.

The proposal to develop a national standard for care plans was considered at the April 2014 meeting of the Standardisation Committee for Care Information (SCCI).  The proposal was broadly welcomed but SCCI requested further assessment of both the current use of care plans and the appetite to develop a national standard.

This consultation is aimed at assessing that “take up” and establishing very high level requirements for such a standard, prior to undertaking further, detailed requirements work to develop that standard, should SCCI choose to accept the need for such development.

Many strategic drivers support the need for harmonised, structured care plan content to improve exchange of care information, in a clear, efficient, unambiguous way.   Developing and deploying such a standard has implications; publicly funded providers of health and social care in England would be required to deploy care planning to the standard.  They would also receive central, sustained support for the ongoing maintenance of the standard, the content and the rules / guidance for exchange of care plan information within and between organisations.

Please note:  Our questions use the term ‘care plan’ throughout.  The phraseology may differ between professions; for example the medical profession generally refers to ‘management plans’ or ‘treatment plans’, midwifery has ‘birthing plans’, social care has ‘support plans’ and nursing and many other health and social care professions refer to ‘care plans’, ‘intervention plans’ or ‘management plans’. Increasingly national guidance is using the phrase ‘care plan’ including guidance to primary care for long-term conditions such as the Year of Care Programme. Please consider care plan in this way, whatever label you use for it.

Please note:  Many of the questions are cast from the perspective of the respondent being a care provider.  If your sector is not exclusively in care provision (e.g. a software provider) please interpret and answer the questions accordingly.

What happens next

Findings from this consultation will be presented back to SCCI to enable the Committee to decide whether the accept the need for an information standard.

If the need is accepted, then subject to normal business approvals and the appointment of a suitable sponsor/senior responsible owner (SRO), work on the articulation of more detailed requirements will be able to commence.