In this blog, I will be looking at how our proposals will help to ensure that the needs of all people – whatever their circumstances or background – are met. The law requires us, in our work, to assess how we can:
- eliminate unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation
- advance equality of opportunity
- promotee understanding of differences and tackle prejudice; and
- reduce inequalities for the people of England in health service provision
It is important that our proposals will both benefit the most disadvantaged in our society and ensure that we recognise the different circumstances and backgrounds of the people that we aim to help.
Vulnerable people in residential care
The case management proposals in chapter 3 of the consultation document aim to give further protection to some of the most vulnerable people in England. It is crucial that all vulnerable people, for example, people with learning disabilities, autism or mental health problems, receive safe, appropriate and high quality care. The proposals are aimed for the most part at people looked after in residential care or nursing homes or long term hospital residents.
We have heard strong evidence, including from Winterbourne View that, very occasionally, people in residential care can be abused and yet are too frightened or confused – or lack the capacity - to complain about their care. One way of helping would be for the managers responsible for agreeing and funding their care (the commissioners) to be made aware. Again, the vulnerable person might be too frightened or confused to tell the manager. For the same reasons, they might not be able to give permission to commissioners to access their records. Without that permission, commissioners cannot check to see that they are receiving appropriate, high quality care and to ensure that any concerns are picked up as quickly as possible.
Normally, people’s personal health and care records are shared only with the team that are looking after the person. To share more widely, the person has to give explicit permission.
Our proposals will let these commissioners have access to people’s information without seeking their permission. This will mean that they can ensure that they are getting the right care, that the care is safe and that they are being looked after properly. We are proposing strict controls on this access so that commissioners only access the information that they need to protect vulnerable people and only act where there are real concerns.
Promoting equality and reducing inequalities
We intend that our proposals in chapters 2 and 4 will help to reduce health inequalities by providing commissioners with safe, secure access to the information they need to monitor the health and care services that they fund. It is only when they have identified where health inequalities exist that commissioners can act to tackle the inequality. For example they could find that outcomes for a particular long term condition are significantly different across their area, or discover that referral rates vary by age in way that is not supported by the clinical evidence.
In this consultation, we are keen to hear from anyone with ideas on how we might improve the ways that information can be used to tackle health inequalities promote equality of access and outcome and help health and care organisations carry out their duties in a way that helps to eliminate discrimination and promote equality and understanding of difference.
I look forward to hearing what you have to say on this.
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