What is Children and Young Peoples’ Continuing Care (CYPCC)?
Continuing Care is the name given to a package of care that is arranged and funded jointly by the NHS, Local Authority and (if required) Education, for individuals aged under 18 years of age who are not in hospital and have needs arising from disability, accident or illness that cannot be met by universal or specialist services alone.
Some children and young people (up to age 18) may have very complex health needs. These may be the result of:
- congenital conditions
- long-term or life-limiting conditions
- disability
- serious illness or injury
Children and young people with such complex needs may need additional health support to that which is routinely available from GP practices, hospitals or in the community. The ICB, which is responsible for arranging for health services locally, has responsibility for assessing children and young people up to the age of 18 years, to see if they need a package of continuing care.
How can I access CYPCC?
A referral can be made by any health professional or carer who feels a continuing care package may be required.
When a child or young person is referred for an assessment, the AACC service might first check if they are likely to need a full assessment.
A health assessor will collect evidence of the child’s needs, drawing on the advice of health and care professionals. A national Framework provides guidance and a set of categories of needs to support decisions on whether or not a child has a continuing care need.
An important part of the assessment is to capture the preferences of the child or young person and their family. The assessment will look at the current care being provided, but a decision on whether or not a child or young person has a continuing care need is based on the nature of their needs, rather that the care available, or whether or not they have a particular condition.
What happens after the CYPCC assessment?
The health assessor will make a case to a panel of experts, who decide (based on the evidence and the recommendation) if the child or young person has a continuing care need.
A decision is usually made within 6-8 weeks from referral.
Depending on the decision, a package of care is then agreed; some of this care may be provided through existing services; some may need to be specially arranged.
The AACC team will keep the package of care under regular review to ensure the developing child or young person’s needs continue to be supported.
A child or young person’s eligibility for continuing care may change as their needs change.
What is a Personal Health Budget?
If you are eligible for fully funded NHS CHC or CYPCC and are receiving care in your own home, you will be offered a Personal Health Budget (PHB) to enable you to further personalise the way your funding is used to ensure that your care needs are met.
Find out more about Personal Health Budgets.