Care Homes Direct Enhanced Service (DES) Survey
The project involved the Healthwatch organisations for the City of London, Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham, Waltham Forest, Redbridge, Barking and Dagenham and Havering. The project was commissioned by the then North East London Clinical Commissioning Group (NEL CCG), now known as NHS North East London.
Direct Enhanced Service (DES) are defined as primary medical services other than essential services, additional services or out-of-hours services. GPs are additionally funded to provide these services.
There is a Direct Enhanced Service for Care Homes which provides services such as enhanced primary care and community care support, access to out of hours/ urgent care when needed, multi-disciplinary team support, end-of-life care, home rounds, GP care plans and more. The Healthwatch data team translated research questions devised by the CCG, evaluating the NEL DES provision, onto a secure survey platform.
Healthwatch teams across the eight Boroughs were given details of the Care Homes in their area, following an email of introduction to each Care Home Manager by the CCG primary care email channel. There were many instances where this had not been received, which led to some initial access difficulties which were resolved, as described below. There was also some access difficulty with out-of-date contact numbers.
Healthwatch volunteers were briefed and supported to be part of the workforce for this project.
156 of 252 Homes were contacted successfully, with an additional 19 Homes that had previously been surveyed. This led to an overall 70% completion rate using 156 volunteer and staff hours.
Our volunteers were briefed to attempt two calls to access the survey with each Care Home Manager. Many tried 5 or 6 times and the resulting completion rate is testament to their dedication and forensic attention to detail.
Available below are two reports - first, the Havering-specific version, which gives the details of the responses received to the survey undertaken by volunteers from Healthwatch Havering; and secondly, the overall report, bringing together the data obtained by all eight Healthwatch organisations (including Healthwatch Havering).
NEL ICB have been working together with Healthwatch to hear the voice of care providers across NEL. Healthwatch completed a survey with over 156 Care home managers across NEL, to have a deeper understanding of their knowledge of what the Primary Care Network (PCN) Directed Enhanced Service (DES) outlines. The findings have fed into work to develop a one-page infographic for Care Homes and GP Practices. This will help to facilitate clear understanding of the PCN DES, which we know from the [Healthwatch] residents ' focus groups they have found beneficial and helpful in responsive health provision. - Care Provider Programme Manager/Enhanced Health in Care Homes Lead, NHS North East London ICB
