Dear Provider,
The Dorset Integrated Care System (ICS) is willing to engage with Right to Choose within NHS England guidelines. It is important to note there is a clear pathway that will need to be undertaken by you the provider.
As a provider, you must be commissioned via an ongoing contract with an NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) and meet all the required standards including CQC registration.
For the provision of ongoing care, a GP can consider entering a shared care agreement with a specialist provider where:
- The patient remains under the care of your specialist.
- The patient has regular specialist reviews.
- The patient has access to return for reviews with you, as required, should their clinical condition change.
- The GP can easily liaise with your specialist, as required, for advice and support with the current treatment plan.
- The transfer of care through a shared care agreement can only be established once the diagnosis has been made and the patient is stabilised on the current treatment.
Where the follow-up arrangements, as set out above, are not available from you, shared care will not be possible, and your specialist will only be able to make a diagnosis.
This is particularly pertinent in the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) pathway. You must communicate any limitations of your ADHD service with the patient and ensure they have fully understood at point of referral.
If you wish to discharge a patient under your care remaining on a treatment plan, you must first refer directly to the relevant local service in order to maintain the specialist care of the patient. Until this transfer of care is established, you will remain responsible for the care of the patient.
Should the patient experience suffer due to any variance from the arrangement on behalf of either provider, it remains the responsibility of the provider in question to address these complaints and will not default to the GP.
Yours sincerely,
Rosemary Medical Centre