Efficiently completing overdue NHS-funded nursing care reviews within budget, our team ensured individuals’ health and social care needs were met, identified necessary referrals, and fostered strong partnerships with care home providers, resulting in improved patient care.

Background

In December 2022, we were approached by an integrated care board (ICB) for support to reduce a build-up of overdue 3 and 12-month NHS-funded nursing care (FNC) reviews. 

NHS Midlands and Lancashire resourced a team of administrative and clinical staff to undertake 578 of these cases over a four-month period. This provided assurance to the ICB that patient needs were being met and where a change in need was identified, the team would then conduct a decision support tool (DST) assessment.

Action

•Recruited a team of clinical and administrative staff.

•Provided training by experienced senior clinicians to ensure compliance with the National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) and NHS-funded Nursing Care 2022.

•Our data analyst worked closely with the ICB team to identify patient cohorts for review and cleanse records to identify any anomalies requiring further work prior to a review.

•Produced a trajectory for completion of the 578 reviews, based on clinical team and nursing home availability.

•Produced a highlight report every two weeks to keep the ICB briefed on progress.

Impact

•578 FNC reviews and six DST processes leading to a change in needs were completed on time and within budget. This provided assurance that individuals’ assessed health and social care needs were being met.

•On various occasions patients required signposting for referral to other NHS services such as GP, dietician, speech and language service, continence management, and diabetes review.

•Individual cases:

•A patient who was identified as underweight had an action plan drafted and put in place with the care home.

•A patient required transfer from general nursing to an Elderly Mentally Infirm bed.

•A patient identified as end-of-life required fast-track assessment and was subsequently moved onto the correct funding stream.

•A patient wishing to go home was referred to social care to assess and support with accommodation, and therefore savings were realised for the ICB.

•Good partnership working with care home providers and social care colleagues. 

•Electronic patient records were updated.

•Themes and trends in nursing home cancellations were collated and fed back to the ICB.

Feedback

The recent FNC review meetings were carried out in a very professional manner, and they were very sensitive to the individual’s needs. I found your staff member to be very friendly and understanding of my job role as a care home nurse and they offered sound advice when needed. 

A nursing home