Commenting at the end of the consultation on the
Department of Health's Proposed National Framework for
NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-Funded Nursing care in
England, Dr Beverly Malone, General Secretary of the
Royal College of Nursing, said:
“The RCN has serious misgivings about whether these
proposals will end the continuing healthcare post code
lottery that sees so many people being denied care they
are entitled to on the NHS and having to sell their
homes to pay for it.
“Despite the initial fanfare, this framework does not
clear up the confusion around who is entitled to fully
funded care on the NHS. It is nurses who are put in the
impossible position of having to explain complicated and
often unfair decisions to patients and their families.
“The RCN believes that anyone who needs nursing in a
care home should get this care fully funded by the NHS.
Nursing care is a fundamental part of healthcare and
should be funded by the NHS.
“We now need an open and honest debate on continuing
healthcare and about what should be funded by the NHS.
This will help avoid the strangulated policy making that
confuses nurses and the public.
“The Department of Health should also keep
responsibility for NHS funding policy and implementation
across England. Giving policy responsibility to Primary
Care Trusts, as the framework recommends, will only
continue the current post code lottery.
“We are looking forward to working with the Department
of Health and other stakeholders to shape a system that
is fair, honest and transparent with the patients' needs
at its heart.”
Continuing care (or long term care) describes the care
that people need over an extended period of time as a
result of disability, accident or illness. The NHS is
responsible for providing some continuing care, which is
called continuing healthcare.
The RCN has submitted a response to the Department of
Health Proposed National Framework for NHS Continuing
Healthcare and NHS-Funded Nursing Care in England.
Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is the voice of
nursing across the UK and is the largest professional
union of nursing staff in the world. The RCN promotes
the interest of nurses and patients on a wide range of
issues and helps shape healthcare policy by working
closely with the UK Government and other national and
international institutions, trade unions, professional
bodies and voluntary organisations.
http://www.rcn.org.uk
