To develop high quality EHC Plans that integrate provision across service boundaries, local areas need a clear, transparent process for undertaking EHC Needs assessments - developed in partnership with parents, young people and professionals.
The regulations which support the Children and Families Act 2014 place a duty on local authorities when carrying out an EHC assessment to obtain ‘medical advice and information from a health care professional identified by the responsible commissioning body’. There is then a legal responsibility placed on NHS bodies to respond to requests for advice and information as part of EHC assessments within six weeks of the date on which they receive the request. The briefing below sets this out in more detail, as well as specific points which apply in certain circumstances.