Department of Health

Website of the Department of Health

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Change agent team

The Health & Social Care Change Agent Team (CAT) was established in January 2002 to tackle delayed transfers of care (or delayed hospital discharges) and associated arrangements.

New website

For up to date information on the work of the Health & Social Care Change Agent Team and improving services for older people please visit:

Extra Care Housing Fund: Application guidance notes and bidding form - 2006

Guide for Local Authority Social Services Departments, their partner Housing Associations, developers and other partners involved with individual projects, which aims to inform their strategic role and help them in preparing their bids for Extra Care Housing Funding.

Making connections: The annual report of the Change Agent Team 2004/05

Published: 01/12/2005

This report covers the third and final year of the health and social care Change Agent Team. It is the Change Agent Team's last report as they become part of the new Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP).

Telecare Learning and Improvement Network

The Telecare LIN, a subsidiary of the Housing LN, is the national network supporting local service redesign through the application of telecare to aid the delivery of housing, care and support services for older and vulnerable people. The LIN has the lead for the promoting the learning and service improvement elements of the Department of Health's £80m Prevention Technology Grant from April 2006 and links with related housing, care and support capital and revenue programmes.

Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP)

The Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP) is commissioned by the Department of Health and other agencies to help services implement national policies for local benefit.

Housing Learning and Improvement Network

The Housing LIN is the national network for promoting new ideas and supporting change in the delivery of housing, care and support services for older and vulnerable people. It has the lead for supporting the implementation and sharing the learning from the Department of Health's £147m Extra Care Housing Grant arrangements and related housing, care and support capital and revenue programmes.

Changing Times: Improving services for older people. Report on the work of the Health and Social Care Change Agent Team 2003/04

Published: 24/09/2004

Annual Report for 2003/04 of the Health and Social Care Change Agent Team which highlights practice that the Team has found to work and gives examples of good practice. Topics include reimbursement, commissioning, discharge planning and partnership working.

Previous webpages

Health and Social Care Change Agent Team

Purpose, Structure and Address of the Health and Social Care Change Agent Team.

Introduction to reimbursement

Background about the reimbursement strategy.

Learning and Improvement Networks

Three learning and improvement networks were set up in November 2002, initially to run until end March 2003, though it is now anticipated that they will continue until March 2004.

Commissioning: Learning Improvement Network

Better commissioning of housing, health and social care services plays a key role in tackling the problem of delayed discharges as well as providing sound services that can be more responsive to older people's needs. We want to help you commission services effectively, and to tackle related issues like staff shortages, training needs and partnership working.

Reports and publications

Reports and leaflets, workbooks and toolkits, good practice guides, and linked publications.

Change Agent Team: Bright ideas

The aim of this section is to bring together practices and innovations heard about or seen by the Change Agent Team (CAT):

Events and Presentations

Health & Social Care Change Agent Team events and presentations

Change Agent Team contact details

Change Agent Team contact details

Guide to support and services offered by the Change Agent Team

Summary of the CAT's work

CSIP Integrated Care Network (ICN)

The Care Services Improvement Partnership'sIntegrated Care Network (ICN) provides guidance on whole systems and partnership working for frontline NHS, local government and voluntary organisations seeking to improve the provision to users, patients and carers by integrating the planning and delivery of services. It supports the Department of Health's development of care trusts and use of Health Act flexibilities (pooled budgets). In March 2005, it was commissioned by the Department of Health to promote Health Act Flexibilities and maintain S31 databases.

Emergency services collaborative

The emergency services collaborative is a national programme to reduce the time taken to diagnose, treat and discharge or transfer patients in A&E wards.

Change Agent Team: Contact Information and Useful Links

Change Agent Team Contact Information and Useful Links.

'Independence not dependence' - New extra care housing places for older people

Speaking at a Laing & Buisson Conference on Extra Care Housing, Health Minister Stephen Ladyman today unveiled the 16 successful bids that would receive a share of the first year funding from the Department of Health's Extra Care Housing Fund that was announced last year.

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