Implementing Care Closer to Home

Convenient Quality Care for Patients

DH April 2007

The document provides practical support for the provision of more specialist services closer to home that are delivered by Practitioners with Special Interests (PwSIs).

Anticipated benefits of shifting care closer to home:

Timely
Reducing waits and delays and contributing to the delivery of the 18 week Public Service Agreement (PSA) target, especially for diagnostics and outpatient care where long waits have an impact on the NHS’s ability to meet this target.

Efficient
Streamlining patient pathways by removing unnecessary steps, improving care through better use of skill mix and preventing the need for more costly interventions.

Effective
Providing services that are clinically appropriate and based upon evidence of proven benefit. Refraining from providing services to those not likely to benefit.

Equitable
Providing consistent care regardless of demographic, socio-economic or geographical status.

Patient-centered
Providing care that is respectful of, responsive to and guided by patient preferences, needs and values. Ways in which this can be achieved include improved access, enabling patients to be treated closer to home without having to attend hospital, and offering patients a choice of provider which includes the local specialist services from PwSIs.

Safe
Avoiding harm to patients.