February 2021

We have sent out a new update for February 2021 it is available for download below:

Next steps to building strong and effective integrated care systems across England: Government White Paper for NHS and social care reform
Today the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has published a White Paper – Integration and Innovation: working together to improve health and social care for all, which sets out new proposals to build on the successful NHS response to the pandemic and bring health and care services closer together to improve care and tackle health inequalities.

The proposals aim to modernise the legal framework and remove unnecessary legislative bureaucracy.  

The White Paper sets out the government’s proposals for legislation, building on the extensive consultation already undertaken by NHS England which prompted thousands of responses from every part of the health and care system as well as the public.

The White Paper builds on the past seven years of practical experience and experimentation across the health service kicked off by the NHS Five Year Forward View, and the NHS Long Term Plan and reinforced by the flexibility NHS staff and organisations have shown in throughout the pandemic.

Key measures include: Support for our proposal to create statutory Integrated Care Systems.
Support for our proposal to scrap mandatory competitive procurements by which NHS staff currently waste a significant amount of time on unnecessary tendering processes for healthcare services.
Under today’s proposals, the NHS will only need to tender services when the NHS itself considered this has the potential to lead to better outcomes for patients. 
The Competition Market Authority will no longer be involved in NHS oversight.
Local NHS services will have more power to act in the best interests of their communities.

The safety of patients is at the heart of NHS services. The upcoming Bill will put the Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch permanently into law as a Statutory Body so it can continue to reduce risk and improve safety. The Healthcare Safety Investigations Branch already investigates when things go wrong, so that mistakes can be learned from, and this strengthens its legal footing.#

Support for our proposal to formally fold Monitor and the Trust Development Authority (i.e. NHS Improvement) into NHS England.

A package of measures to deliver on specific needs in the social care sector. This will improve oversight and accountability in the delivery of services through new assurance and data sharing measures in social care, update the legal framework to enable person-centred models of hospital discharge, and improve powers for the Secretary of State to directly make payments to adult social care providers where required.

The pandemic has shown the impact of inequalities on public health outcomes and the need for Government to act to help level up health across the country. Legislation will help to support the introduction of new requirements about calorie labelling on food and drink packaging and the advertising of junk food before the 9pm watershed. You can read further details in today’s press release along with the White Paper, the NHSE/I response to the legislative consultation, a letter sent out to System Leaders today, as well as a set of frequently asked questions (FAQs). Today NHS England has also published an online consultation on proposals for the NHS Provider Selection Regime. This sets out a new approach to procurement of services, to make it easier to develop stable collaborations and to reduce some of the cost burden associated with the current regime.
A Bill will be laid in Parliament when parliamentary time allows to carry the proposals into law. The changes set out today will help to shape our future work, which at its heart is about enabling everyone we serve to live a healthier and happier life for longer, with more convenient, responsive services when people need them.  

Share the news

Please share this bulletin with colleagues so that we can keep more people informed about integrated care. Get in touch if you would like us to consider including an integrated care article in the bulletin. If you have any thoughts on what content you would like to see covered in future editions, please forward them to our team at england.systempartnerships@nhs.net.

From 11th February, initially for a period of 2 weeks, all eligible frontline care workers can also access their first vaccination via the National Booking Service. This provides an additional option for employers and eligible frontline social care workers to access an appointment at a time and place that is convenient for them. The National Booking Service can be accessed via: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/book-coronavirus-vaccination   or by phone: 119.

As with the current process, social care workers can access their vaccination appointment with a Local Authority-issued Notice of Eligibility. They can now also use a recent letter from their employer, along with photo identification which confirms their place of work. For those who do not have a work photo ID, as a minimum, a letter from their employer with another form of photo ID will be needed.

For a person to be eligible as a health or social care worker they should meet the definition summarised as follows;

Frontline healthcare staff

This includes staff who have frequent face-to-face clinical contact with patients and who are directly involved in patient care in either secondary or primary care/community settings. This includes doctors, dentists, midwives and nurses, paramedics and ambulance staff, pharmacists, optometrists, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and radiographers It should also include those working in independent, voluntary and non-standard healthcare settings such as hospices, and community-based mental health or addiction services

Frontline social care workers

• those working in long-stay residential and nursing care homes or other long-stay care facilities where rapid spread is likely to follow introduction of infection and cause high morbidity and mortality
• social care staff directly involved in the care of their patients or clients
• others involved directly in delivering social care such that they and vulnerable patients/clients are at increased risk of exposure

Expansion of Asymptomatic Testing

The government announcement over the weekend expands the current offer in Lincolnshire to include the wider workforce who cannot work from home. For organisations who cannot work from home they can now access the current community testing sites. The development of the community testing programme will now see the inclusion of weekly testing for:

• small or local public sector organisations; e.g. local government
• charities and voluntary groups
• small or local private sector businesses providing key public services and unable to access institutional testing; e.g. waste management, public transport, taxi firms, volunteers, power and water companies etc
• education or childcare settings not covered by existing schools testing; e.g. private nurseries, children homes, childminders etc
• medium sized local businesses (generally businesses between 50 and 250 staff) unable to practically access institutional testing

small or local businesses (generally less than 50 staff), sole traders or self-employed citizens.

The process is very simple:

• staff attend any of the sites below wearing a face covering, there is no need to book a slot
• details are taken using the individuals phone or a device on-site (staff will need a mobile number for this)
• the swabbing is guided by on-site staff, this takes approximately 5 minutes, and the person then leaves
• the result comes through in approximately 30 mins and there is no need to wait on-site for the result or have a follow up PCR test if positive
• if the staff member is positive they and their close contacts need to isolate for 10 days. Please note their close contacts will be contacted via the national or local contact tracing teams
• if the result does not come through, the person will need to attend for another test.

Most sites have ample onsite parking, but we suggest those attending the Lincoln St Swithin’s site use Lincoln College’s Knights Building car park (LN2 5HQ), via the one-way access from Monks Road. Sites are open from 8am-8pm daily including weekends on a walk-in basis:

• Lincoln Croft Street (St Swithin’s) Community Centre, Croft Street, Baggholme Road, off Monks Road, Lincoln, LN2 5AX
• Haven High Tollfield Campus, 90-96 Tollfield Rd, Boston, PE21 9PN
• Peter Paine Performance Centre, Rosebery Ave, Boston, PE21 7QR
• Better Gym Sleaford: Oakside Park Industrial Estate, East Rd, Sleaford NG34 7EH
• Lincoln City Football Club, LNER Stadium, Lincoln, LN5 8LD. 

Please remember that anyone, whether frontline or based at home who develops coronavirus symptoms, should get a test in the usual way: www.gov.uk/get-coronavirus-test.