UK health organisations and the Central Office of Information have been undertaking a review of healthcarebased standards and specifications (HBNs, HTMs etc), and the way such material is presented. IHEEM has been asked to contribute input to the working group heading up the task.
One key conclusion already reached is that the format and delivery of guidance will need to be adapted to meet stakeholders’ future needs. Jonathan Millman, head of Knowledge Management and Research in the Gateway Review, Estates and Facilities team at the Department of Health, said: “The context in which we produce healthcare- specific guidance has changed considerably since the introduction of HTMs which, at the time, were aimed primarily at healthcare providers. The advent of World Class Commissioning and the creation of the Care Quality Commission (which will take on responsibility for the regulation of health and adult social care in April 2009) has meant that the current structure of healthcare technical guidance does not meet the needs of commissioners and regulators.”
The current system of distributing healthcare technical guidance dates back to 1961. Several factors, including a government drive to reduce the number of hard copies of guidance produced, have led to a decision to take forward an online content management system as the optimum delivery method. This has also resulted, the Department of Health says, in an opportunity to review the guidance and adapt it as necessary to ensure it meets the changing needs of system reform, “giving focus to material that is specific to healthcare, complements the Department’s clinical policies, and is not available from another source”.
IHEEM will report on the working group’s progress in due course.
