Devon Primary Care Trust (PCT) declares its compliance with the national Standards for Better Health.

Each year, every NHS Trust must declare to what extent they feel they have complied with the NHS’s core standards for Quality, known as Standards for Better Health.
Standards for Better Health is part of the Care Quality Commission’s (formally the Health Care Commission’s) Annual Health Check and consists of 44 ‘core’ standards (42 relevant to Devon Primary Care Trust for this year of assessment) in total over seven areas or ‘domains’:

• Safety
• Clinical and cost effectiveness
• Governance
• Patient focus
• Accessible and responsive care
• Care environment and amenities
• Public health

Devon PCT submitted its declaration of compliance with the standards on Friday 4 December 2009.

This is NHS Devon’s fourth declaration of compliance with Standards for Better Health. It is a declaration of compliance for the year 2009/10, this is the second year that Devon Provider Services has made its own declaration. Devon Provider Services has continued to prepare for the requirements of the new Care Quality Commission and provider registration which will come in to full effect from the 1 April 2010. There has been a significant improvement in the overall level of compliance for Devon Provider Services since declaring seven standards as non-complaint in last years declaration, this reflects the work, contribution and support of our staff and partners.

This general statement applies to Devon Provider Services.

A robust self-assessment of compliance has been undertaken and the findings are that:
a) Devon Provider Services is compliant with 39 out of the 42 applicable standards.
b) Devon Provider Services is non-compliant with three core standards:

C4d - Medicines management
Devon Provider Services has declared this standard not met since the 1 April 2008, this was as a result of the lack of a Pharmacist in post during the assessment year 2008-09. A number of areas of work had been delayed as a result of this vacancy including audits in respect to prescribing/ administrating of medicines. This work was due to have been completed by the end of the year, following the appointment of the Pharmacist allowing compliance to be achieved from the 1 May 2009.
Following the successful appointment of the Pharmacist and their completion of a review of the outstanding work and planning and implementation of the required actions plans the timescale has been extended, additionally there have been significant capacity issues for the delivery of these action plans by the Prescribing Lead given the Pandemic Flu preparation. This work will be completed by the 31 March 2010.

C16 - Patient and public information
Devon Provider Services has declared this standard not met since the 1 April 2008, this was as a result of the lack of a trust wide, systematic process for the development and production of patient information. Further review and development of the detailed action plan to support compliance with this standard has led to this timescale being extended beyond the expected 30/09/09. This work will be completed by the 31 December 2009.

C18 - Choice and equitable access
DPS has declared this standard not met since the 1 April 2008. Specific issues impacting on compliance include inconsistency in recording diversity data across services for those accessing services, different systems in place to record data; a combination of manual and electronic, limited examples of the systematic use of diversity data to support and influence service review and development at a local level within Provider.

There has been an action plan in place to address these issues throughout the period of non compliance and a Patient Access Working Group overseeing this work. The resolution of some of the issues has remained a significant challenge and has led to this timescale being extended beyond the expected 30/6/09. This work will be completed by the 31 March 2010.

Each of the three standards being declared as non-compliant were declared as non complaint in the previous years declaration. Detailed action plans were developed and significant progress against these plans has been made, there remain some outstanding actions for each of these standards. As a result the level of assurance available at this stage is not sufficient to demonstrate full compliance. It is expected that the ongoing review of these standards, their action plans and continuing work to address the outstanding risks will achieve and provide assurance of full compliance by the end of the year (31 March 2010).

It is recognised that there are likely to be implications for the trusts registration with the Care Quality Commission as a provider from 1 April 2010, these will be considered fully as the additional guidance from the Care Quality Commission is made available.

Copies are also available on request from the NHS Devon (Provider Services):

Shaun Alexander
Head of Patient Safety and Quality
Devon Provider Services
NHS Devon - Provider Headquarters
Unit 1, Exeter International Office Park
Clyst Honiton
Exeter
EX5 2HL

Email: shaun.alexander@nhs.net

Click this link to view or download the document - Devon PCT 2009/2010 Standards for Better Health Declaration

Care Quality Commission: The New Registration System.

From April 2010, all health and adult social care providers who provide regulated activities were required by law to be registered with the Care Quality Commission.

To do so, organisations that provider care must show they are meeting new essential standards of quality and safety across all of the regulated activities they provide.

What this means is that by law, NHS hospitals now have a responsibility to ensure that the treatment, care and support they provide meets essential standards that:

• protect your safety
• respect your dignity and rights.

These are the standards everyone should be able to expect when they receive care.

Devon Provider Services: Certificate of Registration.

NHS Devon (Provider Services) is pleased to confirm that following it’s registration submission to the CQC that full registration has been awarded, without condition from the CQC. Please click the link to view a copy of our Certificate.

For further information on the registration process within the NHS please click:

http://www.cqc.org.uk/newsandevents/newsstories.cfm?cit_id=36131&FAArea1=customWidgets.content_view_1&usecache=false

For further information on Standards or the Care Quality Commission please see the following website:

• Care Quality Commission