Designated Clinical Officer (DCO)

NHS Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire (BNSSG) Integrated Care Board (ICB) plans and commissions health care and services to ensure people remain as healthy as possible.

The Designated Clinical Officer (DCO) is a statutory role held by a qualified health professional with a range of experience in relation to children and young people with SEND. The DCO works closely with the local authorities and assists the ICB in meeting its responsibilities to SEND.

The DCO provides a point of contact for local authorities, schools and colleges who require advice or support on health related matters for children and young people who have special education needs or disabilities (SEND).

They:

• act as a link between Education and Health teams with queries about SEND and EHCPs
• attend the weekly local authority SEND panels to review advice and provide a health opinion
• participate in EHCP quality assurance exercises and feedback to health colleagues
• provide support and training to health colleagues on SEND including EHCPs
• work closely with parent carer forums and other support or voluntary organisations
• participate in SEND local area inspections
• can review and provide evidence for first tier tribunal cases where there is a health element for determination
• can work with partners in cases that need mediation services to resolve disputes outside of tribunals
• can provide advice to education settings about their duties under the Department of Education’s (2014) ‘Supporting Pupils At School With Medical Conditions’ guidance
• can liaise with child and adult health services about specific children and young people
• can advise on identifying children and young people who may require referral to Children’s Continuing Care (CCC) or adult Continuing Health Care (CHC) services
• work with the local authority to look at personal health budgets (PHB’s) for those who have asked for a personal budget and who meet the children’s Continuing Care (CCC) criteria or adult Continuing Health Care criteria (CHC)