The Department of Health opened up a public consultation last spring to seek people’s views on new topics for the National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to produce social care quality guidance and standards on from 2015 onwards.
We were delighted to receive over 270 responses from various sources including, voluntary organisations, NHS foundation trusts, care home workers, carers and service users.
NICE guidance is for NHS England, local authorities, social care staff, charities, and anyone with a responsibility for commissioning or providing healthcare, public health or social care services. They also support these groups in putting this guidance into practice.
All the responses we received have been considered by NICE in conjunction with Department of Health, Department for Education and Home office colleagues and the relevant ministers. We considered any gaps that already exist in social care guidance, which of the topics were already being produced by NICE in the health and public health fields, and what the sector priorities are.
As a result of this work, we were able to identify the first five topics to be formally referred to NICE to work on in the future. These will not be the only topics from the consultation referred to NICE but more investigation and engagement is required to confirm other topics.
The full consultation report is published today and has more detail on the consultation responses and the decisions made on all the proposed topics
2 comments
Comment by Dr Felix Ugwumadu posted on
Reflecting on the outcomes of the “Consultation heralds new social care topics for NICE”, am intrigued with the findings as they formed essential segments of health and social care agenda. However, the highlights were topical themes that emanated in health and social care projects in the late 1990s and early 2000 yet, not a significant progress was made as the schemes were abandoned due to Neo-political reasons between health and social care sectors.
The highpoints are strategic in managing Long-Term conditions such as: 1. CVA. 2. Diabetics. 3 Parkinson decease. 4. Mental health. 5 dementia decease. It is good to have numerous reports but; it is unproductive when these reports are produced and are unable to yield results. In contrast what is needed in the current climate is to develop a collaborative organisation; free from politics and rhetoric; where funds would be rein fenced to manage these conditions.
The growth of older people, longevity, increasing demand for care as well as contraction of family units presents time bomb waiting to engulf the welfare system in the near future; if visionary thinking is not forthcoming.
Comment by Becca Lawther posted on
Thank you for your comments.
This initial set of five topics has now been referred to NICE for them to commence work on in 2015/16. These topics will be developed into quality standards/guidance to be used by the social care sector.
NICE is also currently working on quality guidance/standard for Social care of older people with multiple long-term conditions. This as with all quality guidance/standards produced by NICE will be supported by suite of implementation tools and resources so that the social care sector will see the benefit.
Many of the social care quality guidance/standards topics that NICE are working on are aimed at the care of older people but we are also conscious that we need to consider other client groups with the work of NICE.
If you would like to get involved with the work of NICE, you can register as a stakeholder at their website via the following link:
http://www.nice.org.uk/getinvolved/sh/SocialCareStakeholderRegistration.jsp