FOI Ref: 0029FOI1920 

22^ND May 2019

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/ Response  

I would like to request the following information on your Fast Track Continuing Healthcare (CHC) practices, between 1 January 2018 until the time this request is answered.  

If you are only able to provide partial data, please provide this as far as is possible rather than postponing the entire request. 

1. How many applications for Fast Track CHC did you receive in this time period? Please provide this figure broken down by month, gender and ethnicity of patient.

We are unable to provide a breakdown as requested, however, according to the National CHC benchmarking figures the quarterly returns advise the following:

Date Period	FT referrals received
Jan 18 to March 18	197
April 18 to June 18	219
July 18 to Sept 18	235
Oct 18 to Dec 18	219
Jan 19 to Mar 19	205

To retrieve this information as requested would require going through each individual record to pull out the necessary information. We estimate that it would take five minutes to go through each record, switching between two systems.

This would take in excess of the statutory appropriate limit of 18 hours at £25 per hour as allowed by Section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

2. How many applications for Fast Track CHC did you approve? Please provide this figure broken down by month, gender and ethnicity of patient.

We are unable to provide a breakdown as requested, however, according to the National CHC benchmarking figures the quarterly returns advise the following:

Date Period	FT referrals approved
Jan 18 to March 18	189
April 18 to June 18	212
July 18 to Sept 18	212
Oct 18 to Dec 18	214
Jan 19 to Mar 19	197

We are unable to provide this information broken down as requested for the reason provided in Q1.

3. What is the average time period in hours/days from the point at which a Fast Track CHC application is made to this being approved? What are the top and bottom and ranges? Please provide these figures broken down by gender and ethnicity of patient. 

Average time period from FT application received to approved is 0.641 days.

The top and bottom ranges are 7 and 0 respectively.  

We are unable to provide this information broken down as requested for the reason provided in Q1.

4. What is the average time period in hours/days from the point at which a Fast Track CHC application is approved to this being provided? What are the top and bottom and ranges? Please provide these figures broken down by gender and ethnicity of patient.

Average time from FT approval to commencement of care is 6.2884 days.

Top range was 58 days (patient whose family would not move them from hospital. Bottom range was -17 days (patient had gone from CHC to FNC then FT so agreed to back date therefore -17 days). 

We are unable to provide this information broken down as requested for the reason provided in Q1.

5. How many people in all the hospitals in your CCG have died in hospital while awaiting the start of a Fast Track CHC package? Please provide this figure broken down by month, gender and ethnicity of patient.

Number of patients who have died waiting in hospital is 252.  

We are unable to provide this information broken down as requested for the reason provided in Q1.

6. Does your CCG have a system in place for auditing the use of the Fast Track CHC Pathway? No audit in place.

 

 

Clinical staff:                  39.69 wte

Business Admin:          11.65wte

 

 

 

 

8. How many people work on processing Fast TrackCHC packages?

2.0 wte clinical and 1.0 wte admin staff with oversight of one team leader.