What is a multidisciplinary team (MDT)?

The NHS Continuing Healthcare process is filled with acronyms that are often thrown around without any real explanation or definition. In this guide, we’re going to explore one of the most common – MDT.

Don’t worry, you don’t need medical knowledge to understand an MDT; we’ll break it down in everyday terms so you can feel more comfortable knowing what’s going on with your care.

In this article, we’ll give a simple MDT definition, who’s involved, and the role it will play in an NHS Continuing Healthcare (CHC) decision.

An MDT in the NHS is a multidisciplinary team. This is a group of specialist health and care professionals working together in a healthcare environment to create a tailored treatment plan.

Multidisciplinary teams are formed to ensure that all available treatment options and perspectives are considered when discussing a patient’s care plan. This improves decision-making, especially in the instance of complex care needs where overlapping issues are present at once.

“In our experience supporting families through NHS Continuing Healthcare assessments, the MDT is often mentioned early on, but rarely explained clearly. Many people don’t realise how much influence the MDT has on how needs are interpreted and recorded.”

Louis Seymour, Legal Services Director

Learn more: Continuing healthcare Glossary

Whilst there are no fixed members of the MDT, as every person’s circumstances and care needs are different, there are typical members, including:

• Healthcare professionals: including nurses, GPs, physiotherapists, occupational therapists and dieticians.
• Social care professionals: to address the social, environmental, and discharge planning needs, representing the local authority.
• Coordinators: to help manage patient schedules for meetings, appointed by the Integrated Care Board (ICB).
• The patient and carers: whilst not considered formal members of the MDT, the person being assessed and their family/representatives have a right to be involved in the process and provide their views.

There must be at least two professionals from different disciplines to make up an MDT. Those chosen should have knowledge of the individual patient’s needs, and those who have been involved in their care first-hand are preferred (although this is not always possible).

The NHS has guidance on information sharing in MDTs that can provide further clarity.

Not every multidisciplinary team looks the same, and the members of one person’s MDT will not be the members of another’s. The professionals who make up a team for CHC funding decisions will be different than that reviewing cancer needs, for example.

For those in that situation, Macmillan Cancer Support has an MDT guide on how the team plays a part in treatment.

A multidisciplinary team meeting is the start of the decision stage of an NHS Continuing Healthcare assessment, where the MDT evaluate whether they believe an individual qualifies for CHC funding.

During this meeting – which the patient or a representative should be involved in or informed of – the MDT will complete the following steps:

• The team will review the patient’s medical records and assessments.
• They will complete the Decision Support Tool (DST) to score needs across 12 care domains.
• They will collectively reach a recommendation on eligibility, which is passed on to the Integrated Care Board (ICB) for a final decision.

It is worth noting that multidisciplinary team meetings are not exclusive to CHC. MDT teams are also frequently called for complex care planning, and are particularly valued when it comes to cancer care.

If you have been called for an MDT meeting and are not going through the Continuing Healthcare process, this meeting will be to discuss and create a specialised care plan.

When it comes to NHS Continuing Healthcare, an MDT is responsible for assessing an individual’s health and social care needs to determine eligibility for funding. This is done during an MDT meeting, where care notes are reviewed, and a person is assessed using a Decision Support Tool.

Whilst a multidisciplinary team can provide a recommendation on whether a person is eligible, it does not make the final decision. The final decision is made by the Integrated Care Board. The decision usually aligns with that of the MDT, but can deviate, especially in the case of exceptional circumstances.

A large part of a CHC MDT meeting is using the Decision Support Tool to assess an individual’s health and social care needs across 12 care domains. In order to do this, the MDT will:

• Collate information and evidence from recent assessments to ensure current needs are accurately reflected.
• Review the individual (using that evidence) against each of the 12 care domains to determine the level of care required.
• Use the completed DST to generate an evidence-based argument on whether a person has a primary health need.
• Provide the completed DST and the final decision to the Integrated Care Board, which serves as the final decision makers for CHC eligibility.

• An MDT is a multidisciplinary team, made up of professional health and social care workers.
• Multidisciplinary teams are gathered to discuss complex care needs and make CHC funding decisions.
• An MDT meeting, when it comes to CHC funding, is the decision-making part of the process.
• An MDT meeting, outside of CHC funding, is a care planning meeting for someone with complex care needs, often cancer.

We specialise in navigating the complex NHS Continuing Healthcare process, and provide expert advocacy, legal expertise and clinical guidance to secure funding.

We understand that the process can feel overwhelming and arduous at a time when you need simplicity and clarity. Our team of over 80 specialists, including lawyers and clinicians are dedicated to ensuring the right decision is made.

From helping you prepare for the MDT by ensuring all primary health needs are accurately documented and preventing premature or incorrect applications to support with appeals and retrospective claims, we’re on hand.

For personalised support, contact us to discuss your specific situation, and we’ll provide a free assessment.

What does MDT stand for in NHS Continuing Healthcare?

An MDT in the NHS Continuing Healthcare process is a multidisciplinary team. This is a group of specialist health and care professionals who review a patient’s care needs to determine whether they are eligible for Continuing Healthcare funding.

Is an MDT meeting the same as a CHC panel?

No – an MDT meeting and CHC panel are not the same. The MDT meeting comes first and makes a recommendation for or against funding. This is then reviewed in the CHC panel, and a final decision is made.

Who makes the final decision after an MDT?

The CHC panel, which is made up of Integrated Care Board (ICB) representatives, make the final decision after an MDT meeting.

Can families challenge MDT recommendations?

Yes – families can and should challenge MDT recommendations if they disagree with the outcome. A formal appeal must be lodged with the Integrated Care Board (ICB) within six months of a written decision. Compass CHC is experienced in helping navigate the appeals process.

Do MDTs decide eligibility for NHS Continuing Healthcare?

Whilst MDTs do make recommendations, they do not make the final eligibility decision for Continuing Healthcare funding; that’s made by the Integrated Care Board (ICB). However, in most cases, the ICB is expected to uphold the MDTs recommendations, and only deviates in exceptional circumstances.