FOI Ref: 0205FOI1920

12th February 2020

Freedom of Information Act 2000 – Request for Information

We are pleased to respond to your request for information and our response is set out below:

Request

The National Health Service Commissioning Board and Clinical Commissioning Groups (Responsibilities and Standing Rules) Regulations 2012, states,

“21. (7) In deciding whether a person has a primary health need in accordance with paragraph (5)(b), a relevant body must consider whether the nursing or other health services required by that person are—

(a) where that person is, or is to be, accommodated in relevant premises, more than incidental or ancillary to the provision of accommodation which a social services authority is, or would be but for a person’s means, under a duty to provide; or

(b) of a nature beyond which a social services authority whose primary responsibility is to provide social services could be expected to provide,

and, if it decides that the nursing or other health services required do, when considered in their totality, fall within sub-paragraph (a) or (b), it must decide that that person has a primary health need.”

With reference to the above:

1. Against what criteria, (benchmarks/scales/yardsticks), are the nature, intensity, complexity and unpredictability of a person’s needs measured/assessed/weighed?

2. Please provide a copy of the document used to measure/assess/weigh a person’s needs.

Please note, to be clear, I am not referring to the Checklist, the DST, Fast Track, The National Framework, Needs Portrayals/Assessments, policies, (or the Primary Health Need test, since that is your reference), so please do not respond, referencing, or directing/pointing me to these, because there are no criteria, (benchmarks/scales/yardsticks) in them, against which the nature, intensity, complexity and unpredictability of a person’s needs can be measured/assessed/weighed.

If there are no criteria, (benchmarks/scales/yardsticks), against which the nature, intensity, complexity and unpredictability of a person’s needs are measured/assessed/weighed, please say so.

Response

Sheffield CCG does not use benchmarks/scales or yardsticks to assess whether an individual has a primary health need. The four Key characteristics (the nature, intensity, complexity and unpredictability) are what describe if the individual has a primary health need or not.