NHS Yorkshire and the Humber launched the Service Change Assurance Process (SCAP) in May 2007, with agreement from NHS organisations across the area. Since then health communities in the region have used the assurance process to support a wide variety of service change schemes – all have focused on improving services and the health of our patients.
NHS Yorkshire and the Humber has a duty to oversee all major service change in the region, ensuring the process adheres to best practice and is in line with the strategic direction set out in Healthy Ambitions. The Service Change Assurance Process aims to ensure that major service change programmes are being managed effectively, are on track to realise the expected benefits and to minimise the risks for NHS organisations in developing, consulting and implementing major service change.
The Service Change Assurance Process operates throughout the service change/reconfiguration programme, with particular focus at four stages: pre service change/pre consultation, consultation, post consultation and implementation. These are recognised as critical stages in any reconfiguration programme. NHS Yorkshire and the Humber recognises the necessity for proportionality and flexibility, so the use of SCAP will be agreed on a programme by programme basis.
An organisation which successfully completes the Service Change Assurance Process will proceed to the next step of their scheme (eg. consultation, implementation etc). An organisation which does not achieve all required standards will not be supported to proceed by the SHA.
SCAP can be completed in tight timescales and has been designed to produce quality assurance findings quickly. However given the complexity of service change and involvement of external agencies (National Clinical Advisory Team and Gateway), programmes are asked to provide the SHA with as much notice of plans as possible.
To obtain copies of the relevant service change assurance process documents, please click on the links below:
Service Change Assurance Process - summary document
Service Change Assurance Process - a guide
For further details please contact Tim Barton, Strategy Lead on tim.barton@yorksandhumber.nhs.uk or 0113 295 3636.
