NHS England has published an update on the Urgent and Emergency Care Review, which builds on NHS England’s future vision for urgent and emergency care in Transforming urgent and emergency care services in England. Urgent and Emergency Care Review End of Phase 1 Report.
This work will make it easier for patients to get the right care, in the right place, first time. The vision is simple: firstly, for those people with urgent but non-life threatening needs we must provide highly responsive, effective and personalised services outside of hospital – as close to people’s homes as possible, minimising disruption and inconvenience for patients and their families. Secondly, for those people with life threatening needs we should ensure they are treated in centres with the very best expertise and facilities.
This update sets out what the Review has been doing since NHS England last reported in November 2013. It reports on progress with NHS England’s work with local commissioners and the development of their five year strategic and two year operational plans as well as updates on planning to develop demonstrator sites to trial new models, including the new NHS 111 service specification.
To underpin these changes, a new approach to reimbursing providers of health and care services is essential. Today NHS England and Monitor have therefore also published a discussion document setting out the options for payment to kick off discussion.