The recent MIAA event brought together experts from across the system to explore some of the most significant challenges — and opportunities — facing Continuing Care today.

From improving data quality to delivering the All Age Continuing Care (AACC) Blueprint, preparing for Mental Health Act reform, and harnessing AI to enhance CHC processes, the session highlighted the scale of change underway and what organisations need to do next.

Sharon Howard, MIAA’s Delivery Programme Lead – Finance explained the importance of Accurate Coding & Data Quality in Continuing Care

Why Accurate Coding Matters

NHS Continuing Care represents a major area of national activity and investment. In 2024/25, £7.8 billion was spent by English ICBs supporting people with long‑term and complex needs across CHC, Fast Track, Funded Nursing Care (FNC), Children’s Continuing Care and joint‑funded care.

Demand continues to rise, with case volumes increasing steadily. Poor‑quality or inconsistent data makes it harder for systems to understand need, plan services, allocate resources and compare performance meaningfully. Inaccurate data leads to a range of issues including distorted budgets, challenges for national planning and areas appearing as outliers,

There is still time to strengthen data quality for 2026/27. By improving financial coding and aligning case volume returns with relevant costs.

All Age Continuing Care (AACC): ICB Blueprint

Ken Jones, MIAA’s Director of Delivery and Joyce Bowler, Clinical Director, MultiHealth Specialists covered the ICB Blueprint.

As Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) move from operational oversight into more strategic roles, the AACC Blueprint sets out what good looks like for assessment, decision‑making and long‑term support for people with complex needs. AACC covers CHC, Fast Track, Joint Funding and children’s continuing care — areas characterised by high complexity, cost and significant impact on individuals and families.

Key shifts in the Blueprint

ICBs are encouraged to:

• Prioritise outcomes and quality
• Use data and evidence to inform decisions
• Strengthen collaboration with local authorities and providers
• Ensure decisions are consistent, fair and legally sound
• Improve leadership and governance arrangements

This is about enabling better, more integrated care — not creating additional bureaucracy.

Key takeaway: AACC is a key test of whether an ICB is truly functioning as a strategic commissioner.

Mental Health Act Reform: What Commissioners Need to Know

Ben Troke, Partner, Weightmans covered updated to the Mental Health Act. The changes aim to strengthen patient rights, reduce inappropriate detention, and modernise the legal framework. The reforms respond to longstanding concerns, including, poor patient experience, racial disparities in detention and over‑use of compulsory detention for people with learning disabilities or autism.

Key Legislative Changes

1. New Detention Criteria
2. Stronger Patient Rights
3. People cannot be detained under Section 3 solely due to Learning Disability & Autism. This may increase pressure on:

• Community support
• Assessment pathways
• CHC and DoLS processes

4. New Duties for ICBs
5. Supervised Discharge - A new framework begins 18 February 2026, with significant implications for community teams and system flow.

Implications for commissioners: Expect increased demand, workforce pressures, infrastructure challenges and long‑term implementation requirements.

Using AI to Improve Continuing Healthcare Checklists.

Emma Ockelford, CEO, Outcomes Matter presented CHC+ a new, partnership‑led AI tool designed to enhance the quality, speed and consistency of CHC Checklist completion. It generates a first‑draft narrative from existing documents, which professionals then review and finalise — keeping all clinical judgement and decision‑making firmly in human hands. Expansion pilots are now underway in Buckinghamshire, Stoke, BCP and Coventry.

Conclusion

This event underscored the significant transformation underway across Continuing Care — from improving data quality and implementing the AACC Blueprint, to preparing for Mental Health Act reform and leveraging AI for better CHC decision‑making.

Together, these developments represent a major opportunity to improve outcomes, strengthen system resilience and deliver more consistent, person‑centred care.

If you’d like support in any of these areas, please contact Solutions@miaa.nhs.uk