On Monday 22nd April Ed Miliband MP launched a new independent commission which will help inform Labour’s Health and Care Policy Review.
The new Independent Commission on Whole Person Care will be chaired by Sir John Oldham OBE, who is one of the country’s leading experts on integrated care. Up until last month Sir John was the National Clinical Lead for Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) and a member of the National Quality Board. He previously ran the Department of Health’s National Primary Care Development Team.
Sir John has appointed a fantastic group of experts to be the members of the Independent Commission. Together they will work to produce effective proposals on how our vision of meeting people’s physical, mental and social care needs together in one system could be achieved in practice.
As you know, the shadow health team is holding 10 regional events across the country to engage with patients, users, their families, the public and staff who work in the NHS and social care and seek their views on our vision. We are also hosting a series of national policy roundtables with key stakeholders, and visiting examples of integrated care in other countries to help identify examples of international best practice. Labour Party members are being consulted on the idea of ‘whole person care’ through your work at the Health Policy Commission, and via the ‘Your Britain’ website.
The Independent Commission will draw from the findings of all these activities and build on them to develop the vision of ‘whole person care’ in more detail, and make their recommendations to the Labour Party. A key stage of the Independent Commission’s work will be to test their proposals with patients and NHS and social care staff to ensure they are workable and effective.
Their recommendations will not be binding on the Labour Party, but we are sure you will agree they will be incredibly helpful in helping inform our future policy.
Terms of reference:
- Detail the major challenges for health and social care that necessitate whole person, integrated care
- Provide examples (UK and international) on how best to integrate physical and mental health and social care
- Address how to ensure responsive, accountable services that empower users, their families and local communities including as co-producers of their own health and care
- Outline the development needs of the workforce and service providers necessary to achieve integrated care
- Identify the steps for moving from the current system to one where co-ordinated and fully integrated care is the norm, without major structural change and within existing resources
- We are particularly keen that the Commission tests any recommendations with patients, users and practitioners working in the NHS and social care to ensure they are workable and effective.
Timetable:
- Phase 1 April – July 2013: Listening and taking evidence, including considering input from Labour’s regional events and national policy roundtables, as well as written submissions from key stakeholders.
- Phase 2 September – November 2013: Compilation of initial report and proposals
- Phase 3 December 2013 – March 2014: Consultation on proposals with CCGs, health and wellbeing boards, patient and staff groups etc.
- Phase 4: April – May 2014: development and publication of final report and recommendations, drawing on Phase 3.
Members of the commission
Sir John Oldham (chair) Former national clinical lead, quality and productivity, at the Department of Health
Richard Smith Chair at Patients Best and former editor of BMJ
Dr Angela Coulter Department of public health, University of Oxford, and Informed Medical Decisions Foundation, Boston
Marion Dinwoodie CEO at Kent Community Health Trust
Hilary Chapman Chief nurse and chief operating officer at Sheffield Teaching Foundation Trust
Jeremy Hughes CEO at the Alzheimer’s Society
Sally Brearley Lay member of the National Quality Board and Sutton CCG lay member; chair at the Nursing and Care Quality Forum.
Ian Philp Professor of heathcare for older people at the University of Warwick, former national clinical director for older people
Jay Stickland Head of adult care at Greenwich Social Services
Peter Hay Director of social care in Birmingham and former president of ADAS
Dr Donal Hynes Vice-chair of the NHS Alliance