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Choice Policy

Last Review Date N/A

Approving Body

Executive Committee

Date of Approval

18th March 2020

Date of Implementation

19th March 2020

Next Review Date

March 2023

Review Responsibility

Strategy and Delivery

Version

1

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Date of Review Amendment Details

March 2020 New Choice Policy developed to replace a pre-existing Choice

Strategy.

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CONTENTS Page

1. Introduction- Putting patients at the heart of care 4

1.1 Background 5

2. The Choice Framework (2020) 5-7

2.1 Exclusions 7

3. Implementing the comprehensive model- NHS England 7

3.1 NHS Constitution 8

3.2 The NHS Long Term Plan 8

4. Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group Commitments 8

4.1 How are we going to get there? 9

5. National Choice Survey 11

6. Local achievements 11

6.1 Electronic Records System (e-RS) 11

6.2 Manage Choice (Previously Choice at 26 weeks) 12

6.3 Capacity Alerts 13

7. Mitigating risks 13

Glossary 14

References 15

Appendix A – Action Plan 16

Equality Impact Assessment 22

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1. Introduction – Putting patients at the heart of care This Policy is a guide to the choices that patients have and can make about their personal healthcare and treatment. It is firmly written into the NHS constitution that ‘patients will be at the heart of everything the NHS does’. Thus every patient has a right to make informed choices about their healthcare and be offered the opportunity to compare and make choice decisions based on their individual needs. The NHS Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group (DCCG) has an ambition to provide as much choice as possible for patients when they need to access NHS services. Our mission is to be: A high quality and accountable Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), encouraging responsive partnership engagement in a transparent climate of ongoing learning in order to create a patient-centred yet financially astute and corporate approach to commissioning. Our vision is to: Work with others to invest in quality healthcare for Doncaster patients. Our values are that: The needs of patients are paramount. The CCG will drive forward continuous improvement, through relationships based on integrity and trust. We are delighted with the progress we have made in Doncaster since the Department of Health and Social Care set out its commitment to patient choice. Over a decade ago patients had very little choice, with hospital appointments made on their behalf, usually with no prior discussion. We have come a long way since then on the journey towards greater patient involvement in healthcare. Not least, that Doncaster patients now have the right to choose when, where and who they go to for their first outpatient appointment. We believe patients should be involved at every stage of their pathway of care. It is a fundamental right, for patients to have the opportunity to make a reasonable choice and to receive the information and support they need to make an informed choice. Effective patient engagement runs like a golden thread through our

mission, vision and values and is a core element of our work. Having high

quality patient and public engagement, supported by clear, easy-to-

understand information is the key to unlocking many benefits for a good

patient experience, better value for healthcare resources and trusted

relationships in the community.

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NHS DCCG have already made encouraging progression with regards to

offering patients choice and will continue to ensure that the choices we offer

to our patients are fair, effective and sustainable.

1.1 Background

Since the introduction of Patient Choice the NHS set out the vision of ‘a

health service designed around the patient’, the Department of Health and

Social Care and NHS England has published a succession of white papers

and policy documentation to move forward the vision to deliver a patient-

centred health service.

The NHS Choice Framework is the key thread running through the

national policies, this was developed from a Choice Agenda which was

published in 2000 and started with a commitment for every patient to be

offered a choice of hospital at the point of referral and for any patient

waiting longer than six months for elective surgery to be offered an

alternative choice.

DCCG have actively promoted patient choice for more than a decade,

working closely with our partners to ensure that everyone is aware of their

rights surrounding patient choice. More recently DCCG have focused on

ensuring that our systems are developed to provide referring clinicians and

partners with the education and tools required to offer choice to patients.

2. The Choice Framework (2020)

The 2020 Choice framework has further defined those services where

choice is a patient’s legal right and their rights under the NHS constitution.

The Framework forms the basis of this policy and offers the following

provisions for patients:

- Choosing GP and GP Practice

Patients have a legal right to choose which GP Practice they register with and they can ask to see a particular doctor or nurse of their choice. The GP Practice must make every effort to meet a patients preference, although there may be occasions when this might not be possible.

- Choosing where to go for your first outpatient appointment at

point of referral

Patients have a legal right to decide which NHS organisation they would like to receive care from as an outpatient. The referring clinician will make every effort to meet the patient’s request, although this may not always be feasible and is dependent on the circumstances.

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- Asking to change hospital if you have been waiting longer than the maximum wait times

If a patient has been waiting longer than 18 weeks for a general appointment or longer than 2 weeks for an urgent suspected cancer appointment they have the legal right to request that they are refereed to another provider that can see them in a shorter timeframe. There may be cases where the request cannot be made but every effort should be made to ensure that patients are not breaching wait times. - Choosing who carries out a specialist test

It is a legal right for patients to request a specific NHS provider to carry out specialist tests; this is only the case if the test will be the patient’s first outpatient appointment for the condition in question. The Referring clinician will try to meet the request of the patient but this may not always be possible. - The potential of choosing maternity services Patients can expect a range of choices in maternity services, informed by what is best for them and their baby. This is not a legal right, and the safety of the Patient and the baby will take precedence over the choices on offer. - The potential of choosing services provided in the community Patients have the potential to choose to see providers within the community. This is not a legal right and is dependent on the commissioned services available. - The potential of choosing to take part in health research Patients can take part in approved health research, for example clinical trials of medicines relating to your circumstances or care. This is not a legal right and patients have the freedom to decide if they would like to partake.

- Choosing to have a personal health budget A personal health budget is an amount of money to support your health and care needs. Patients may be able to choose to have a personal health budget which can be used to access some NHS services such as end-of-life care, wheelchair, mental health and learning disability services. This is a legal right, but only currently for patient’s that are eligible for continuing care and fulfill criteria’s set by the local clinical commissioning group.

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- Choosing to access required treatment in another European Economic Area country (Subject to change following EU negotiations) The Following is subject to change following EU negotiations. Patients have the legal right to choose, subject to certain conditions, to receive treatment which is normally available in the NHS in other countries within the European Economic Area (EEA).

2.1 Exclusions

Most patients who require an elective referral are offered a choice of

Provider for their booked appointment at the time they are referred by their

General Practitioner (GP). However, there are currently a few exceptions

to this choice policy, as follows:

Persons excluded

• persons detained under the Mental Health Act 1983

• military personnel

• prisoners

Services excluded

– Where speedy diagnosis and treatment is particularly important, e.g.

• emergency attendances/admissions

• attendances at a Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic under the two-week

maximum waiting time

• attendance at cancer services under the two-week maximum waiting

time

3. Implementing the comprehensive model – NHS England

In January 2019 a delivery plan titled ‘Implementing the comprehensive model’ was published by NHS England. This paper highlights the importance of personalised care being business as usual across the health and care system. To achieve benefits of personalised care the comprehensive model needs to be delivered in full; the key focus areas are: 1. Shared decision making 2. Personalised care and support planning 3. Enabling choice, including legal rights to choose 4. Social prescribing and community-based support 5. Supported self-management 6. Personal health budgets (PHBs) and integrated personal budgets.

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3.1 NHS Constitution

The pledge set out in the NHS Constitution (2015) is for everyone who is cared for by the NHS in England to have a right to choose the services they receive. The NHS Constitution pledges to:

- Inform patients about the healthcare services available, locally and nationally.

- Offer Patients easily accessible, reliable and relevant information in an understandable format. This will enable patients to participate fully in their own healthcare decisions and to support patients in making choices. This will include information on the range and quality of clinical services where there is robust and accurate information available.

3.2 The NHS Long Term Plan

The NHS Long Term Plan highlights the need to treat people as individuals and provide care based on their needs and choices. A key driver for giving patients more control over their own care needs is the access to personalised healthcare budgets particularly for bespoke wheelchairs, mental health services, learning disabilities and end of life care. The long term plan states that when considering elective care the NHS will provide capacity alerts which will provide patients with waiting time information enabling them to make an educated choice of provider. The plan also states that if a patient has been on a waiting list for longer than six months they will be offered a choice of alternative provider.

4. Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group Commitments DCCG has declared that it is aware of its statutory duties to, in the exercise of its functions, act with a view to enable patients to make choices with respect to aspects of their care and to promote the involvement of individual patients, and their carers and representatives, in decisions about their care and treatment. DCCG gives assurance that it will act with a view to enabling patients to

make choices by:

a) Ensuring that commissioners and providers maintain the principle of

patients’ rights to Choice under the NHS Constitution.

b) Monitoring and communicating key national performance measures

relating to Choice such as e-RS utilisation.

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c) Ensuring continued review and monitoring of this Choice Policy and

work to deliver action through the Choice Action Plan (Appendix A).

d) Encouraging and acting on feedback from the public, patients and

providers.

e) Responding to new developments from the Department of Health and

Social Care and other national guidance regarding the Choice agenda

and ensuring these are implemented locally.

DCCG will maintain the vision, values and mission statement as a principal

position when undertaking actions relating to patient choice.

4.1 How are we going to get there?

The needs of our patients are paramount and they deserve the best care we can commission for them. We will take a whole-systems approach to drive forward continuous improvement, building mature relationships with our partners and providers based on integrity and trust. The vision outlined in this document is for shared decision making to become the norm for everyone, whatever their need or background. Therefore we need to ensure that we are compliant with statutory

legislation and the Department of Health and Social care regulations in

enabling patients to share in decisions about their care, the choices they

have and when they apply.

In order to realise this objective we will follow the guidance set out within

the choice framework, additional to this a number of key actions have

been identified:

1. Patient and provider consultation to gather feedback on the e-RS system, its value and their experience of booking appointments and referral process. This will enable the organisation to tailor the way it prioritises commissioning decisions in relation to the electronic booking system.

2. Increase the current offer of choice of any provider significantly, and

explore with professional and patient groups how we can make rapid

progress towards this goal.

3. Continue to develop an understanding of the current provider landscape and how this needs to change to meet strategic objectives and choice options particularly around primary and secondary care. Engage current and future service providers to improve engagement and encourage market development.

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4. Ensure collaborative working to enable:

• The public/service users to influence commissioning.

• Opportunities for choice to be explored at different decision points

along the care pathway.

• Self-management and support clinicians so that they enable patients

to manage their own conditions.

5. Continuous evaluation of services to ensure value for money, cost

efficiency and effectiveness in delivering clinical outcomes.

6. Incorporating patient choice into our commissioning strategy will

ensure that choice is considered for all stages of life for Doncaster

patients.

7. Implementation of Capacity Alerts to enable patients and clinicians to

have an informed choice based on wait times.

8. Promote the choice agenda and raise awareness across the Commissioning Directorate and wider Doncaster Place through organisational and workforce development.

The Choice Action Plan (Appendix A) will support the organisations Patient Choice agenda.

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5. National Choice Survey

- NHS England 2015

The latest Choice survey was published by NHS England in 2015. 6,989 adults in England and Wales were interviewed, 2729 of those interviewed were required to have an outpatient appointment. 40% of those were offered a choice at the time of referral. Out of the 2,729 patients 47% said that they were aware that they could choose their own hospital or clinic prior to the appointment. 1,086 patients shared the source of information which gave them the information surrounding choice. The chart below shows that the main source is from the referring General Practitioner. 92% of respondents who recalled being offered a choice were able to go to the provider of their choice.

6. Local Achievements

The DCCG Strategy and Delivery Team have been actively involved in delivering choice messages to raise awareness publicly, as well as providing support to practices to enable GPs and their staff to facilitate the decision making process, using e-RS to identify suitable providers of healthcare and accessing information so patients can make an informed choice.

6.1 Electronic Records System (e-RS)

Work has also been ongoing with the local acute Trust to maximise the

functionality and appointment slot availability within e-RS. Over the last 5

years Doncaster has maintained a significantly higher utilisation of the e-

RS system than the rest of England.

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Fig. 1 demonstrates the e-RS utilisation in Doncaster between January

2019- November 2019 compared to England and the North of England.

https://digital.nhs.uk/services/e-referral-service/reports-and-statistics/weekly-booking-reports

6.2 Manage Choice- (Previously known as Choice at 26 weeks)

October 2019 saw the launch of the Manage Choice pilot delivered by a

Steering team led by the South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated Care

System (SYB ICS). Patients waiting longer than 26 weeks for an elective

appointment would (Where capacity and clinical eligibility allows) be

offered an alternative choice of treatment provider. The Pilot ended after 3

months and the results were satisfactory with 55% of patients assessed

being eligible for choice and 85% of those that were offered a choice

accepted.

Fig.2 shows a breakdown of the patients that accepted the choice and

whether this was with an NHS or independent provider and which

specialism the appointment was for.

Fig.2

70%

75%

80%

85%

90%

95%

100%

Fig. 1 e-RS Choose and book Utilisation

NHS Doncaster

England

North of England

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Feedback was collated from those patients that took part in the pilot, many

patients highlighted that they were happy to travel to a private provider

that was closer to their local NHS hospital rather than travel to another

NHS Trust, the main reason that people refused choice was due to travel

issues and confidence in the provider.

Based on the outcomes of the pilot The SYB ICS Steering team are

continuing to roll out ‘Manage Choice’ to patients that have been waiting

longer than 18 weeks for elective appointments. The ambition is to offer

choice to 80% of patients by 2021 with an ambition of 55% of patients

accepting the choice.

https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-21-NHS-Operational-Planning-

Contracting-Guidance.pdf

6.3 Capacity Alerts

DCCG will work in collaboration with the SYB ICS to roll out Capacity

Alerts across 2020- 2022 for all eligible specialities. This system will

enable referring clinicians to have information regarding capacity issues

and availability. This will ensure an informed discussion with the patient

takes place surrounding choice and wait times at the point of referral.

7. Mitigating Risks

In developing the Choice Policy the organisation recognises and

acknowledges there are risks associated with this. These are:

− Clear investment and disinvestment processes which lead to a mix of

providers based on clinically defined cost/quality compromise. This is a

complex and highly emotive area which needs the organisation to have

clear processes in terms of service evaluation and transparency in

decision making.

− National Choice surveys have not been completed since 2015. This

makes it difficult for the CCG to monitor the outcomes of the choice offer,

acceptance and the reasons for rejection. The CCG will need to work with

the referrers closely to gain quality information to aid in the evolving action

plan going forward. There is also the potential to adopt the ICS Manage

choice pilot survey evaluation model for choice at initial referral.

− DCCG has a coherent strategy for increasing personalisation of care

including choice, addressing joint health and care needs.

− GPs use of e-RS System and the prioritisation on the level of time/

resources invested.

− Projects being led by SYB ICS such as the Manage Choice and capacity

alerts need to be closely monitored and agreed by the commissioning

team at DCCG.

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Glossary

Electronic Referral Service (e-RS)

e-RS is a national service that combines electronic booking and a choice of provider

Capacity Alerts A system which can be added to e-RS to highlight which providers have capacity (highlighted green) and those that are struggling for capacity (highlighted red)

Clinical Commissioning Group

Clinical Commissioning Groups are responsible for designing local health services In England, working with patients and healthcare professionals and in partnership with local communities and local authorities.

Commissioning Commissioning in the NHS is the process of ensuring that the health and care services provided effectively meet the needs of the population.

General Practitioner (GP)

GPs diagnose and treat a wide range of health conditions in primary care (from physical, emotional or social causes). They talk to patients and examine them in order to diagnose their condition, and may prescribe medicine or treatment, perform minor surgery, or advise patients on health issues, promoting healthy lifestyles and prevention of illness. They also decide whether a patient needs to be referred to other healthcare professionals for further investigations or treatment.

National Health Service (NHS)

The NHS is the publicly-funded healthcare system in the United Kingdom which provides healthcare to anyone normally resident in the United Kingdom with services free at the point of use.

Personal Health Budgets (PHB)

A personal health budget is an amount of money to support health and wellbeing needs, which is planned and agreed between the patient and the local NHS team. It is not new money, but it may mean spending money differently so that you can get the care that you need.

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References

- The NHS Constitution 2015: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/atta

chment_data/file/480482/NHS_Constitution_WEB.pdf

- The NHS Choice Framework 2020: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-framework/the-nhs-

choice-framework-what-choices-are-available-to-me-in-the-nhs

- Universal Personalised Care: Implementing the Comprehensive

Model: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/universal-personalised-

care.pdf

- The NHS Long Term Plan: https://www.longtermplan.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/nhs-long-term-

plan-version-1.2.pdf

- The operational Planning guidance 2020: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/2020-21-NHS-

Operational-Planning-Contracting-Guidance.pdf

- The NHS National Choice Survey 2015: https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/monitor-nhse-

outpatient-appointments-summary.pdf

- The Health and Social Care Act 2012 http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2012/7/pdfs/ukpga_20120007_en.pdf

Additional references of interest:

- https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-choice/

- https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/choice-in-mental-health-care/

- https://www.england.nhs.uk/patient-choice/elective-care/choice-

materials/

- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-nhs-choice-

framework

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Action Current State Future State Actions Required Timescale

1. Exercise a patient’s legal right to have a choice of GP and/ or GP practice.

GP and GP practices accept patients unless it has reasonable grounds for not doing so, such as a closed list or outside catchment area.

All GP practices will accept patients unless they can evidence a reason for rejection.

Continue with

communication to GP’s and

patients around choice.

Responsibility lies with NHS

Clinical Commissioning

Groups to ensure that

patients are not being

denied a choice unless

appropriate.

2020

2. Patients have a legal right to choose where they have their first outpatient appointment. This includes the choice of a ‘consultant led team’.

Exceptions to offering outpatient choice:

• Prisoners

• Serving member of Armed

Forces

• Detained under the Mental

Health Act 1983

• High secure psychiatric

services

• Drug and alcohol misuse

services commissioned or

provided by local authorities.

All Primary care referrers have an obligation to accept a patient’s preference of choice for outpatient appointment and they will submit this at the time of referral. Most GP’s are now offering choice at the time of referral in line with national guidelines.

All Primary care referrers are to offer choice of outpatient appointment to the patient at the time of referral.

The GP, Dentist,

Optometrist or other

healthcare professional who

is referring the patient is

responsible for offering

choice.

Clinical Commissioning Groups must make sure patients have a choice of outpatient appointment. Doncaster CCG will ensure that the e-RS system is utilised, and if it isn’t they will address issues around training and communications. Work with the South

2020

Appendix A – The Doncaster CCG Choice Action Plan based on the NHS Choice framework

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Action Current State Future State Actions Required Timescale

2.continued Yorkshire and Bassetlaw integrated care system will continue to support this action by offering a capacity alert system in 2020. This will allow patients to make informed decisions around their outpatient care provider. Continue to work with staff at Doncaster & Bassetlaw Hospitals NHS FT & RDaSH, with regard to any operational issues.

3. Exercising the patient’s

legal right to change

hospitals if they have had

excessive wait times.

Set out in the NHS Constitution:

“If it is not possible to be seen

within the maximum waiting time,

the CCG that commissions your

treatment must investigate and

offer you a range of suitable

alternative hospitals or community

clinics that would be able to see

DCCG monitor wait times and feedback information regarding breaches to the identified provider in the hope that they can offer them an alternative choice. The South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw Integrated care system (SYB ICS) have just completed a choice pilot which identifies those patients

The manage choice programme will be rolled out across South Yorkshire and Bassetlaw throughout 2020/21 with the ambition of 80% of patients waiting longer than 18 weeks being offered an alternative choice.

Responsibility lies with Clinical Commissioning Group.

Explicit on all patient letters.

Principles included in Access

Policy.

Continue the roll out of the

SYB ICS manage choice

offer.

2020 SYB ICS manage choice to be rolled out, with full implementation in 2022.

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Action Current State Future State Actions Required Timescale

3.Continued – or treat you within

a shorter time frame.”

There are several exclusions for

this action set out in the NHS

Constitution, including:

They choose to wait longer for their treatment to start;

There are medical reasons that mean it is better for the patient to wait;

Patient fails to attend appointments that they had chosen from a set of reasonable options.

breaching wait times. A cohort of patients that are identified as suitable to be treated by another provider are then contacted and offered an alternative choice.

4. It is the patients legal right to choose who carries out a specialist test.

This is only the case the test has been ordered by a GP and is part of first outpatient appointment with a consultant or member of his team. Exclusions are:

• Urgent test required • Test being undertaken as

part of an admission to hospital

Patients do not have a legal right to choose once you are being seen as an outpatient.

All Primary care referrers have an obligation to accept a patient’s preference of choice for which provider carries out a specialist test. Where this is not a possibility the Referring clinician should explain why it falls within the exclusion criteria.

All Primary care referrers are to offer choice of provider to the patient at the time of referral where eligible.

Responsibility lies with the GP who refers for the test. Minimal action – choice of provider for first appointment already implemented.

2020

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Action Current State Future State Actions Required Timescale

5. The potential of choosing maternity services.

This is not a legal right – choice depends on welfare of patient/ baby and local services available.

Offered at any point throughout the care plan if/ when a need is established.

At each patients point of contact with the maternity services there will be a consideration of the patients/ baby’s welfare and local services available to decide if the patient will benefit from alternative services.

Responsibility lies with

Clinical Commissioning

Group.

Commissioners for maternity services to ensure women have the choice of place and manner of their birth, where appropriate.

2020

6. The potential of choosing services provided in the community. This is not a legal right. Choice of services depends on local consultation and what the CCG, GP practices and patients decide are local priorities.

Patients currently have a choice to be referred to community providers. Where a referring clinician is aware of such service they should be offering the choice at the point of referral. When a new service is procured the CCG will ensure that communication and engagement is of a high priority to make primary care referrers and patients aware of the services on offer.

The CCG will continue to devise new services in the community and will ensure that communication and engagement strategies support such services for providers, referrers, patients and the general public.

The GP, Dentist, Optometrist or other healthcare professional who is referring the patient is responsible for offering choice.

Services available for Any Qualified Provider (AQP) are the responsibility of the Clinical Commissioning Group.

The CCG will consider choice when going through the AQP process procurement for services to ensure patient choice of provider in the community. The CCG will educate and inform via communications and engagement with regards

2023

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Action Current State Future State Actions Required Timescale

6.Continued- to any new services within the community.

7. The potential of choosing to take part in health research Not mandated

The Doncaster Clinical Commissioning Group supports patients’ recruitment to participate in research in partnership with Doncaster and Bassetlaw Teaching Hospitals.

Work with providers to ensure they are offering this choice when available to their patients.

The CCG will review our current position to ensure we continue to promote patient’s recruitment to and participation in research.

2021

8. Choosing to have a

personal health

budget

It became a legal right to ask for a Personal Health Budget from April 2014 for people receiving NHS Continuing Healthcare

(Including children).

DCCG’s offer for

personalised health

budgets (PHB) is in line

with the current

legislation. People have

a legal right to ask for a

personalised health

budget where

appropriate. This is then

considered and

evaluated against a

variety of factors, where

the opportunity arises to

support this it will be

approved and put in to

place.

DCCG will provide personal health budgets to groups of patients on a voluntary basis, if they recognise that there is a benefit to the patient and the NHS from offering packages of care in this way.

In line with the long term plan requirements the Doncaster CCG will evaluate our current position of personalised health budgets and will develop a plan to increase uptake.

2021

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Action Current State Future State Actions Required Timescale

9. Choosing to access

required treatment in

another European

Economic Area country

(Subject to change

following EU negotiations)

The treatment must be one that is available through the NHS in the CCG. There is then a right to claim reimbursement up to the amount the treatment would have cost under the NHS – or the actual amount if this is lower.

Unknown- Awaiting EU

negotiations

Wait and re-evaluate action plan.

2021

10. Being provided with

more information to

help you choose

National context and

local communications

developed by Doncaster

CCG was sent out to

Primary care teams to

aid the patient in the

choice process.

The Doncaster CCG has

an ongoing

Communication’s and

engagement plan for

choice.

All Referring clinicians to

have quality

conversations with

patients surrounding

choice (Where it is an

option).

Patients to have a good

understanding of their

rights surrounding

choice.

Doncaster CCG to monitor the uptake of choice and directly engage with referrers and the general public to promote choice.

To send out up to date communication and engagement material to support patients in understanding their rights to choice.

Update the CCG website and have a page dedicated to choice with the “Easy Read” choice leaflets available.

2021

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Equality Impact Assessment

Subject of equality

analysis Choice Policy

Type

Tick

Policy √

Strategy

Business case

Commissioning service

redesign

Contract / Procurement

Event / consultation

Owner

Name: Kayleigh Harper

Job

Title: Strategy and Delivery Manager for Planned Care

Date 06/05/2020

Assessment

Summary

A Choice Policy has been developed to outline the national

requirements and local commitments to ensuring that patients are

offered a choice within the NHS.

Equality must be considered throughout this policy to ensure that

everyone has access to the information and services available to

them. National easy read documentation regarding patient choice

has been developed and will be shared as part of an ongoing

communications strategy to accompany this policy.

Stakeholders

Tick

Staff √

General public √

Service users √

Partners √

Providers √

Other

Data collection and

consultation

A vast range of national documentation has been used to support

this Policy including: The Choice Framework (2020), the NHS

Constitution, The NHS Long Term Plan and the National Choice

Survey.

Data has been collected and analysed from local Choice pilots to

support the Policies future objectives.

Consultation has taken place within Doncaster Clinical

Commissioning groups (CCG) Strategy and Delivery team and

approval has been given by the CCG executive team.

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Protected

characteristic Positive Neutral Negative

Negative: What are the

risks?

Positive: What are the

benefits / opportunities?

Age √

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone regardless of their

age.

Disability √

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone. Where an individual

may not be able to make a

choice, a professionally

trained team as well as the

next of kin/ carers will be

included in the choice

decision.

Gender √

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone regardless of

Gender.

Race √

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone regardless of race.

Religion & Belief

√

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone regardless of

religion or belief.

Sexual Orientation

√

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone regardless of sexual

orientation.

Gender

reassignment

√

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone regardless of

Gender reassignment.

Pregnancy &

Maternity

√

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone; specific choices for

Pregnancy and maternity are

identified within the policy.

Marriage & Civil

Partnership

√

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone.

Social Inclusion /

Community

Cohesion

√

The choices outlined in the

policy are available for

everyone.

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Conclusion &

Recommendations

including any

resulting action plan

The choice policy outlines the number of choices that are available

for everyone. Offering choices to individuals will always be a positive

action because it will allow us to treat people as individuals and tailor

their care in the best way for them.

Our action plan within the Choice policy focus’ on ensuring that the

Choices are rolled out and offered at patient touch points. A

communications plan will support this to ensure that patients

themselves are aware of their rights regarding the choices they

have.

Review date 18/03/2023