NHS England and NHS Improvement, along with its many partners, are committed to ensuring the continued delivery of personalised care.  However, they acknowledge there have been recent examples reported of where people’s wishes and preferences have not always been considered.

In response, on 1 April 2020 the British Medical Association (BMA), Care Provider Alliance (CPA), Care Quality Commission (CQC) and Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) issued a statement emphasising the importance of a personalised care plan. This was reiterated on 7 April 2020, in a letter to local system leaders from NHS England and NHS Improvement in which it was stressed that advance care planning is undertaken on an individual basis.

As part of an ongoing programme of work to support colleagues across health and social care to maintain and champion personalised approaches to care and treatment, NHS England and NHS Improvement came together on 14 May 2020 for a roundtable with a range of leading thinkers from the disabled rights movement, voluntary sector organisations, and specialist clinical directors. Following this event, NHS England and NHS Improvement jointly issued a summary statement on 20 May 2020, which is published both on the NHS England and NHS Improvement website, and on Disability Rights UK website.

NHS England and NHS Improvement also published a Covid-19 Advance Care Planning template and guidance on 13 April 2020.

NHS England and NHS Improvement, alongside In Control and Disability Rights UK, is developing a piece of work to provide clear advice, information and intervention, as well as the recording and tracking of issues. For more information on the ‘Be Human’ campaign, see the Be Human website.