Further supplementary evidence from the
Department of Health (PPI 01F)
PATIENT SUPPORT
AND EMPOWERMENT
Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS)
Most NHS trusts and PCTs have a PALS. Their
main functions are to:
— provide information and help
to patients, their relatives and carers—they are sometimes
able to negotiate speedy resolution of problems;
— act as a gateway to appropriate
advice and advocacy support from local and national sources, for
example ICAS;
— provide accurate information
to patients, carers and families about the trust's services and
other health related matters;
— act as a catalyst for change
and improvement by providing the trust with information and feedback
on the problems arising and gaps in services;
— operate within a local network
with other PALS in their area and work across organisational boundaries;
and
— support staff at all levels
within the trust to develop a responsive culture.
INDEPENDENT COMPLAINTS
ADVOCACY SERVICE
(ICAS)
ICAS is commissioned by the Department of Health
to give people support if they have a complaint regarding their
National Health Service treatment. ICAS:
— helps people deal with the complaints
process;
— if necessary refers people to
other relevant agencies who will help them to achieve a resolution
to their complaint;
— provides tailored/specialist
advocacy according to individual needs;
— provides interpreters for people
who are new English speakers or who communicate differently;
As an advocate ICAS can:
— give people an opportunity to
speak confidently to someone who is independent of the health
service;
— provide information to enable
a person to make an informed decision on how to proceed;
— help people explore their options
and the potential outcomes of particular courses of action, without
bias; and
— generally supports people through
the complaints process by accompanying them to meetings, writing
letters, making phone calls etc.
THE EXPERT
PATIENTS PROGRAMME
(EPP)
The EPP is a self-management programme for people
with long-term health conditions. It gives people the skills and
confidence to better manage their condition on a day-to-day basis.
It is available through the NHS and the wider voluntary and community
sector. The programme is aimed at a wide range of people with
different long-term conditions and of varying ages, geographic
location and ethnicity.
A network of trainers and around 1,400 volunteer
tutors with long-term conditions deliver programmes locally. The
programme focuses on five core self-management skills:
— developing effective partnerships
with healthcare providers; and
THE COMMUNITY
VOICE
Patient participation groups
Patient participation groups provide effective
grass roots forums in the community for patients, carers and health
service staff. They promote self-help as a process to enable patients
to develop a mutual interest in their primary health care at the
surgery. It is a selection of patients and practice staff who
meet at regular intervals to decide ways of making a positive
contribution to the services and facilities offered to patients
by the GP practice.
Local Involvement Networks (LINks)
Links will:
— promote and support the involvement
of local groups and individuals from across the community to influence
the commissioning, provision and scrutiny of health and social
care services;
— obtain the views of local groups
and individuals about their health and social care needs;
— gather the views of local groups
and individuals about their experience of health and social care
services;
— convey those views to organisations
responsible for commissioning, providing, managing and scrutinising
health and social care services;
— enable local groups and individuals
to share their skills and experience in order to influence the
development and improvement of local health services;
— support people within the community
to make their voices heard, including people who find it hard
to participate in traditional ways or do not choose to;
— support the commissioners and
providers of health and social care services to engage with the
local community, and in particular those groups and individuals
who find the services they need difficult to access;
— act as a hub within a network
of user-led and community based groups in the area covered by
the host local authority, providing a channel for views and information
between these groups and the local health and social care organisations.
The wider patient voice
Section 11
Section 11 of the Health and Social Care Act
2001 places a wider duty on NHS organisations to involve and consult
patients and the public:
— not just when a major change
is proposed, but in the ongoing planning of services;
— not just when considering a
proposal, but in developing that proposal; and
— in decisions that may affect
the operation of services.
The public perspective
Local authority overview and scrutiny committees
(OSCs)
OSCs in local authorities with social services
responsibilities (county councils, London Borough Councils and
unitary authorities) have the power to scrutinise health services.
OSCs:
— have a wider role in health
improvement and to reduce health inequalities for their areas
and their inhabitants;
— scrutinise the NHS—not
just major changes but the ongoing operation and planning of services;
— are able to call NHS managers
to give information about services and decisions;
— report their recommendations
locally;
— have to be consulted by the
NHS where there are to be major changes to health services; and
— are able to refer contested
service changes to the Secretary of State.
The national view
The NHS Centre for Involvement
A consortium of the University of Warwick, the
Centre for Public Scrutiny and the Long-term Medical Conditions
Alliance—an alliance of patient organisations lead The NHS
Centre for Involvement. It is a department within the University
of Warwick and is committed to supporting the NHS as a whole at
local provider, regional and national levels to lead and sustain
patient and public involvement (PPI) in delivering National Health
Services to improve the quality of care and the efficiency and
responsiveness of healthcare organisations. It aims to:
— promote the value of PPI;
— create a one-stop shop for information
and advice on PPI;
— build the capacity of organisations,
staff and patient-citizens for high quality PPI;
— develop and disseminate practical
resources that aid PPI. Generate evidence based models and examples
of best practice;
— identify and maximise learning
opportunities at a national, regional and local level; and
— become an exemplar of a responsive
and inclusive organisation.
The Healthcare Commission
The Healthcare Commission is the health watchdog
in England. Its job is to check that healthcare services are meeting
standards in a range of areas, including patient safety, cleanliness
and waiting times. It has a statutory duty to assess the performance
of healthcare organisations—the annual health check, award
annual performance ratings for the NHS and co-ordinate reviews
of healthcare by others.
National Patient surveys
The Healthcare Commission is responsible for
co-ordinating national survey programmes in England that cover
both NHS staff and recent patients. NHS organisations administer
and fund their own surveys, using standardised instruments and
methodologies. Detailed local and national results from all surveys
are published on the Healthcare Commission website.
The Department of Health has also directly commissioned
a number of patient experience survey, including, for example,
a "Local Health Services Survey" that was conducted
by the Picker Institute in 2006. Surveys designed to capture patients'
experience of choice and access to primary care are also ongoing.
Department of Health
March 2007
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