reports

Using case finding and risk stratification: a key service component for personalised care and support planning

London, UK: National Health Service.

National Health Service. London, UK

This handbook describes current thinking and provides practitioner insights into case finding and risk stratification to support personalised care and support planning – both of which are key elements of the vision and outcomes in the NHS Five Year Forward View¹ .

The handbook contains latest advice on issues such as fair processing of data and Information Governance (IG), as well as linking to practical guidance, case studies and theory from organisations who are closely involved in this area. The purpose of this handbook is to share the learning from these organisations more widely. The handbook also acts as a resource to sign-post the diverse published literature on risk stratification and case finding.

Case finding and risk stratification are evolving disciplines and as legislative changes are expected for Information Governance and use of data during 2015, we would like to emphasise that this resource is the first step of an on-going dialogue with a field of experts, some from the Year of Care and Integrated Care Pioneer programmes. We intend to draw on collective experience and help to move others to a similar level of understanding, We acknowledge there is more to learn in the future as case finding and risk stratification are sufficiently complex to comprise a significant challenge to widespread implementation. A very useful and specific discussion paper on risk stratification in the NHS is included at Section 3.

Nevertheless, we hope the handbook will be useful in supporting use of case finding and risk stratification as tools or approaches for local business planning and care planning, particularly in relation to populations with multi-morbidity and complex conditions.