Glossary
Care and support plan
The care and support planning process is central to the commissioning and provision of care to meet an individual’s needs. Responsibility for care planning lies with the CCG. A care and support plan should ensure a person’s care package meets all their assessed needs.
CCG - NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups
NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups were set up by the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and commission most of the hospital and community NHS services in the local areas for which they are responsible. CCGs lead NHS CHC in their local area, making decisions on eligibility and leading the care and support planning process and commissioning care services.
CHC Alliance - Continuing Healthcare Alliance
CHC Alliance is a group of 17 charities and organisations and campaigns for change and improvement in NHS CHC
CHC Checklist
The Checklist is the NHS Continuing Healthcare screening tool which can be used in a variety of settings to help practitioners identify individuals who may need a full assessment of eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare.
CHC DST - CHC Decision Support Tool
The DST is a national tool which has been developed to support practitioners in the application of the National Framework. The tool is a way of bringing together information from the assessment of needs and applying evidence in a single practical format to facilitate consistent evidence-based recommendations and decision making regarding eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare. All staff who use the DST should be familiar with the principles of the National Framework and have received appropriate training.
DHSC - Department of Health and Social Care
The Department of Health and Social Care is the Government department which oversees the health and social care system in England. It is responsible for development of the National Framework and its associated tools.
EHRC - Equalities and Human Rights Commission
The Equality and Human Rights Commission is Great Britain’s national equality body. It safeguards and enforces the laws that protect people’s rights to fairness, dignity and respect.
HSCC - Health and Social Care Committee
The Health and Social Care Committee it the Parliamentary committee with responsibility to scrutinise the work of the Department of Health and Social Care and its associated public bodies. It examines Government policy, spending and administration on behalf of the electorate and the House of Commons.
MDT - Multi-Disciplinary Team
An MDT is a team of at least two professionals, usually from both the health and the social care disciplines. The core purpose of the MDT is to make a recommendation on eligibility for NHS CHC drawing on the multidisciplinary assessment of needs and following the processes set out in this National Framework.
NAO - National Audit Office
The National Audit Office (NAO) is the UK’s independent public spending watchdog and supports Parliament in holding government to account. It helps improve public services through high-quality audits. NAO reports into Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC).
National Framework - The National Framework for Continuing Healthcare and NHS-Funded Nursing Care
The National Framework sets out the principles and processes of NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care. At the heart of the National Framework is the process for determining whether an individual is eligible for NHS Continuing Healthcare or NHS-funded Nursing Care.
NHS CHC - NHS Continuing Healthcare
NHS CHC is care provided to someone who has complex care needs. The care can be provided in someone’s own home, a care home or other place outside of a hospital. This care is paid for by the NHS and covers the full cost of the person’s care and residential needs.
NHS England and NHS Improvement
NHS England and NHS Improvement leads the NHS in England. It was set up under the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Since April 2019 it has operated as a single organisation.
PAC - Public Accounts Committee
PAC is the Parliamentary committee which examines the value for money of Government projects, programmes and service delivery. Drawing on the work of the National Audit Office the Committee holds government officials to account for the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of public spending.
PACAC - Public Administration and Contitutional Affairs Committee
PACAC is appointed by the House of Commons to examine constitutional issues, the quality and standards of administration provided by Civil Service departments, and the reports of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).
PCT - Primary Care Trust
PCTs were the statutory NHS organisations responsible for commissioning most health services and for improving public health. They were replaced by CCGs by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. Prior to this, PCTs played the same role in NHS CHC as CCGs have since.
Primary health need
An individual has a primary health need if, having taken account of all their needs, it can be said that the main aspects or majority part of the care they require is focused on addressing and/or preventing health needs. Having a primary health need is not about the reason why an individual requires care or support, nor is it based on their diagnosis. It is
about the level and type of their overall actual day-to-day care needs taken in their
totality.
PUPoC - Previously Unassessed Period of Care
A PUPoC is a historic period of care for an individual whose eligibility for NHS CHC had not been asessed at the time.
Standing Rules - The National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012
The Standing Rules are the legal framework for NHS England and NHS Improvement, and CCGs. The Standing Rules set out the roles and responsibilities for NHS England and NHS Improvement and CCGs in relation to NHS CHC and underpin the National Framework.
Strategic Health Authorities
Strategic Health Authorities were regional bodies which were part of the NHS structure between 2002 and 2013. They were replaced by NHS England.