News: Review of the National Care Home Contract: Consultation on Intermediate Care Service Specification
3rd September 2012
As part of the ongoing review of the National Care Home Contract, the service specification for “Intermediate Care” has been completed and we are looking for feedback. We would be grateful to have responses by Friday 28th September 2012. Consultation responses should be returned by email to me; ian.macmaster@scottishcare.org you can also contact me by phone on the number below if you have any questions about the consultation process.
The 2012/13 National Care Home Contract was sent to Scottish Care members and councils at the end of April, we undertook to carry out further work on the development of model specialist service specifications that councils and their partners might use to extend the range of services that care homes provide as part of dealing with the agenda for Reshaping Care.
I am pleased to advise that the first of these, relating to Intermediate Care (IC), has reached the stage of consultation prior to issue, and is attached to this letter. This was developed by the same multi-agency and multi-disciplinary sub-group of the National Development Group for Older People’s Care, that produced the new specification for the 2012/13 NCHC.
In bringing this work forward it was recognised that if the development of Intermediate Care within care homes across Scotland is to achieve both an element of standardisation and consistency, and at the same time meet the particular needs of local areas, then more than a ‘bolt-on’ additional or alternative specification to the existing NCHC will be required.
We decided to start with the current NCHC structure and amend and develop that as needed to offer a pack comprised as explained in the ‘Intro & part 1’.
Councils are being asked a number of questions such as whether they have already commissioned intermediate care and the process used. One question of interest to members would be whether we feel ‘nursing’ care is essential to intermediate care model or whether flexibility using specially qualified care staff would also be considered by providers as meeting care needs of this new group of service users.
Please click on the following:
I Look forward to your responses.
Ian
Follow us on