Supplementary evidence submitted by South
East Coast Strategic Health Authority (PPI 112A)
I promised to write to you regarding the core
standards and developmental standards relating to patient focus
and used by the Healthcare Commission as part of the annual health
check.
The Department of Health published `Standards
for better health' (Full document enclosed).[2]
2 It describes 24 essential or core standards that all healthcare
organisations in England that treat NHS patients should be achieving,
and 13 developmental standards that they should be working towards
achieving in the future. Core standards C13—C19 and developmental
standards D8-D11 come under the domain "Patient Focus"
on pages 14-15 and are copied below:
DOMAIN OUTCOME
Health care is provided in partnership with
patients, their carers and relatives, respecting their diverse
needs, preferences and choices, and in Partnership with other
organisations (especially social care organisations) whose services
impact on patient well-being.
CORE STANDARDS
C13 Health care organisations have systems
in place to ensure that:
(a) staff treat patients, their relatives
and carers with dignity and respect;
(b) appropriate consent is obtained when
required for all contacts with
patients and for the use of any patient confidential
information; and
(c) staff treat patient information confidentially,
except where authorised by legislation to the contrary.
C14 Health care organisations have systems
in place to ensure that patients, their relatives and carers:
(a) have suitable and accessible information
about, and clear access to, procedures to register formal complaints
and feedback on the quality of services;
(b) are not discriminated against when complaints
are made; and
(c) are assured that organisations act appropriately
on any concerns and, where appropriate, make changes to ensure
improvements in service delivery.
C15 Where food is provided, health care
organisations have systems in place to ensure that:
(a) patients are provided with a choice and
that it is prepared safely and provides a balanced diet; and
(b) patients' individual nutritional, personal
and clinical dietary requirements are met, including any necessary
help with feeding and access to food 24 hours a day.
C16 Health care organisations make information
available to patients and the public on their services, provide
patients with suitable and accessible information on the care
and treatment they receive and, where appropriate, inform patients
on what to expect during treatment, care and after-care.
DEVELOPMENTAL STANDARDS
D8 Health care organisations continuously
improve the patient experience, based on the feedback of patients,
carers and relatives.
D9 Patients, service users and, where appropriate,
carers receive timely and suitable information, when they need
and want it, on treatment, care, services, prevention and health
promotion and are:
(a) encouraged to express their preferences;
and
(b) supported to make choices and shared
decisions about their own health care.
D10 Patients and service users, particularly
those with long-term conditions, are helped to contribute to planning
of their care and are provided with opportunities and resources
to develop competence in self-care.
DOMAIN OUTCOME
Patients receive services as promptly as possible,
have choice in access to services and treatments, and do not experience
unnecessary delay at any stage of service delivery or of the care
pathway.
CORE STANDARDS
C17 The views of patients, their carers
and others are sought and taken into account in designing, planning,
delivering and improving health care services.
C18 Health care organisations enable all
members of the population to access services equally and offer
choice in access to services and treatment equitably.
C19 Health care organisations ensure that
patients with emergency health needs are able to access care promptly
and within nationally agreed timescales, and all patients are
able to access services within national expectations on access
to services.
DEVELOPMENTAL STANDARD
D11 Health care organisations plan and deliver
health care which:
(a) reflects the views and health needs of
the population served and which is based on nationally agreed
evidence or best practice;
(b) maximises patient choice;
(c) ensures access (including equality of
access) to services through a range of providers and routes of
access; and
(d) uses locally agreed guidance, guidelines
or protocols for admission, referral and discharge that accord
with the latest national expectations on access to services.
During the annual healthcheck process, Boards
of NHS trusts are responsible for making a self-assessment and
public declaration on the extent to which their organisation has
met the core standards. These declarations are supplemented with
comments from representatives of patients and other partners in
the community—such as patient and public involvement forums,
local authorities' overview and scrutiny committees, foundation
trusts' boards of governors and strategic health authorities.
The HCC check these self-declarations against a wide range of
surveillance information and will follow up where they have concerns.
I hope you find this information and the document
useful.
Candy Morris
Chief Executive, South East Coast Strategic Health
Authority
5 March 2007
2 Not printed here Back
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