ABOUT THIS BLOG

This bulletin highlights recently produced documents that have appeared on websites. The aim is to trawl the web and produce a fortnightly review of what is found (coverage may not be comprehensive). If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this Bulletin, please send an email to library.pct@sthk.nhs.uk. All links are correct at time of publishing. Some documents are large and may take time to open so please be patient when waiting for links to open. If a link is incorrect please email me and I will correct the link and send you the document.

For those that are receiving this through an email or through a third party you can view the original Bulletin at http://www.newdocumentsbulletin.blogspot.com/ and also sign up to receive the Bulletin by RSS.

Due to annual leave the next issue of the Bulletin will be published w/c 31/08/09.

ALTERNATIVE/COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Assessing complementary practice. Building Consensus on appropriate research methods (10th August 2009)
Despite the increasing popularity and use of complementary practice, it is difficult to assess its effectiveness. Lack of research – and lack of agreement on research methods – has led to criticism from branches of conventional medicine.

The King’s Fund set up an advisory group, chaired by Professor Dame Carol Black, to consider how to develop and apply a robust evidence base for complementary practice. The group drew on the experience of a wide range of academics, researchers, practitioners and funders, much of it shared in a two-day participative conference.

This report of the group’s deliberations points out that complementary practice presents researchers with a unique set of challenges.
Report

ANNUAL REPORTS

Health Protection Agency - Annual Report and Accounts 2009 (7th August 2009)
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has today published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2009.

The report highlights HPA's involvement in a widening range of activities, by laying out the key aims of its main health protection priorities and providing detailed updates on achievements in these areas.
Report

BULLETINS/NEWSLETTERS

Health Protection Report Vol. 3 No. 31 (7th August 2009)

Children, Families and Maternity e-bulletin, August 2009, Edition 53 (August 2009)

COMMISSIONING

NHS Cross-Regional SHA Social Value Commissioning Project Bulletin No. 1 - July 2009 (August 2009)
Managers and commissioners within the NHS and local government are caught in a ‘value squeeze’ (i.e. increasing pressure to do more with less) as they seek to deliver more and better services under tighter budget constraints. Within this context, the development of social value will add an additional dimension to both existing service provision and also services that are at the procurement stage.

What this project aims to do is two-fold:

• Develop a framework within which the social value of the current commissioning and procurement activity can be captured and articulated - this will allow the NHS to show its ‘true’ value across the public sector; and
• Embed the use of social value concepts in commissioning and procurement activities - this will allow commissioners to ‘manage’ social value across a whole system and to work more effectively with their partners to deliver social value outcomes.

Bulletin

COMMUNITY SAFETY

Learning Together to be Safe: A toolkit to help colleges contribute to the prevention of violent extremism (7th August 2009)
This toolkit provides information about what can cause violent extremism, about preventative actions taking place locally and nationally and about where colleges can get additional information and advice.
Toolkit

An Action Plan for Tackling Violence 2008-11 - One Year On (5th August 2009)
This report shows the government's progress on tackling violence and introduces a new wider commitment to reduce all violence with injury.
Report

CONSULTATION RESPONSES

Towards a strategy to support volunteering in health and social care: consultation. Response to the consultation (11th August 2009)
This response document is in response to 'Towards a strategy to support volunteering in health and social care' consultation. It sets out messages heard during the consultation process through nine regional workshops held around England, an on-line questionnaire; and detailed written responses received by the Department of Health. This document sets out key themes identified, an analysis of the feedback received, and outlines how we intend to take forward work to develop a substantive strategy on volunteering in health and social care.
Consultation Response

CONSULTATIONS

Safety and Security Directions - High Secure Psychiatric Services - Proposals for consultation (10th August 2009)
The aim of this consultation is to gather views on the proposed revision of The High Security Psychiatric Services (Arrangements for Safety and Security at Ashworth, Broadmoor and Rampton Hospitals) Directions 2009 and associated guidance, by inviting the views of key stakeholder. Closing date for comments is 2nd November 2009.
Consultation

Fees for the registration of pharmacy premises: A consultation on the level of fees to be charged from 1 January 2010 (7th August 2009)
The level of the fee charged by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain for the registration of pharmacy premises is being reviewed. You are invited to give your views on the level of fee, which will come into force from 1 January 2010.
Consultation

DIET/NUTRITION

Food Route: a journey through food (10th August 2009)
The Food Standards Agency has published a new range of resources to enable young people to learn essential food-related skills and knowledge.

'Food route: a journey through food' is a range of colourful age-appropriate workbooks designed and developed to bring the Agency's food competences to life. The materials are supported by teachers' user guides and downloadable certificates, which can be awarded on completion of the various activities.
Resources

DOCTORS

Changes to the GMC's Fitness to Practice Rules (7th August 2009)
A number of amendments to the GMC’s Fitness to Practise Rules take effect on 7 August. The changes follow a consultation earlier this year.

The changes result from our experience of the rules since their introduction in 2004 and from legal advice, and are intended to enhance the effective operation of the GMC's procedures.
Document

DRUGS

Breaking the Link (6th August 2009)
This report, from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, examines how the drug treatment system is expanding and working closely with criminal justice agencies to ensure that problem drug users in prisons have the same quality of treatment as those in the community. It is also about the efforts being made to ensure that all those who come into treatment through criminal justice routes get the opportunity to recover and reintegrate back into society.
Report

Routes to Recovery (3rd August 2009)
A summary of the latest resources in the Routes to Recovery series is now available. These include good practice guides on diversity, clinical governance and towards successful treatment completion.
Summary

GENERAL PRACTICE

Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners (updated 5th August 2009)
The Royal College of General Practitioners have released the second version of this guide. Key changes have been highlighted in blue.
Guide

HEALTH INEQUALITIES

Tackling health inequalities in Fenland (August 2009)
Fenland District Council has its own set of unique issues to deal with when catering to the needs of the local community. The sprawling rural area of Fenland has a population of just 100,000, which throws up among other things issues of isolation. There are more people over 60 in Fenland than under 18, hence the Golden Age Fairs that have helped older people access information and services since 2003. There is also a 50,000-strong Gypsy and Traveller community that has specific needs. Fenland District Council's challenge will be to respond to the diversity within the area and develop bespoke responses accordingly.
Video Podcast

Kettering walk-in centre (5th August 2009)
Eleven organisations led by Kettering Borough Council have set up a walk-in facility aimed at reducing health inequalities.
Information

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

Independent Review of NHS and Social Care IT (August 2009)
This review was commissioned by the Conservative Party and chaired by Dr Glyn Hayes. The report finds that the National Programme for IT should not be abandons but adapted to meet the needs of patients.
Report

Conservative Party response to the Independent Review of NHS IT (10th August 2009)
The key proposals of the Conservatives response are:

• Dismantle the central NHS IT infrastructure and use local systems instead
• Halt and renegotiate the contracts for IT service providers
• Stop imposing central IT systems on the NHS
• Encourage the use of open source across the public sector

Response

Response to Conservative Party's independent review (10th August 2009)
A Department of Health spokesperson has said, in response to the independent review of NHS IT, "The report highlights nothing new - we already know that quality healthcare can be delivered through the effective use of IT."
Response

LOCAL AUTHORITY/GOVERNMENT

Local authorities' use of carers grant. A report prepared for the Department of Health (6th August 2009)
This is the report of a study undertaken by the University of Leeds and commissioned by the Department of Health that aimed to get a better understanding of how local authorities in England spent their Carers' Grant allocations between 2005 and 2007 and how it enabled them to improve support for carers in their area.

First introduced in April 1999, the Carers' Grant is provided to all councils with responsibility for social services in recognition of the support carers need for breaks and other services.
Report

Corby's health MOT bus (6th August 2009)
With Community for Health funding, Corby Borough Council has commissioned a mobile health clinic to tackle health inequalities in the borough.

A fully equipped bus visits residents where they live, work or go shopping to provide a personal ‘MOT’ – a review of their overall health. People are also signposted to healthcare or other support services that they may need.
Information

MENTAL HEALTH

Mental ill health - a common issue (5th August 2009)
Local government in the 21st century is often about working in partnerships and commissioning other bodies to deliver services. Not only has Staffordshire County Council excelled in this, but it has done so in one of the most neglected areas of public service, mental health care.
Information

NICE

Online Educational Tools (August 2009)

In collaboration with BMJ Learning, NICE offers a series of free educational modules suitable for all clinical staff in the healthcare team, as well as doctors. You do not have to be a BMA member or a BMJ subscriber.
Tools

NICE publishes first menu of potential indicators for 2010/11 QOF (10th August 2009)
On 10 August the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published the first menu of potential indicators for the 2010/11 Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) together with recommendations on indicators to be considered for retirement.
QOF Indicators

Lung cancer (non-small-cell, first line treatment) - pemetrexed: final appraisal determination (6th August 2009)
After considering the feedback from consultation, the Appraisal Committee has prepared a Final Appraisal Determination (FAD) on Lung cancer (non-small-cell, first line treatment) - pemetrexedand submitted it to the Institute.

The FAD has been sent to the formal consultees for this appraisal who have 15 working days to consider whether they wish to appeal against it. Subject to any appeal by consultees, the FAD may be used as the basis for the Institute's guidance on the use of the appraised technology in the NHS in England and Wales.

Closing date of the appeal is 21st August 2009.
FAD

Self-harm (longer term management): scope consultation (7th August 2009)
NICE have been asked to develop a clinical practice guideline on Self-harm (longer term management) for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The draft scope defines what aspects of care the guideline will cover and to whom it will apply. Registered stakeholders for the Self-harm (longer term management) guideline are invited to submit comments on the scope and may suggest clinical questions that could be answered in the guideline.

Closing date for comments is 4th September 2009.
Consultation

Latest Implementation Tools (12th August 2009)
Tools to aid implementation of recently published NICE guidance.

When to suspect child maltreatment: Costing Statement

Low back pain: Audit Support and Commissioning Fact Sheet

Diabetes Type 2 (new drugs) update: Audit Support - Organisational Criteria and Audit Support - Clinical Criteria

Coeliac Disease: Audit Support, Commissioning Factsheet and Guide to Resources

Hepatitis B - Tenofovir Disoproxil Fumarate: Audit Support and Costing Tools

Leukaemia (Chronic Lymphocystic, first line) - Rituximab: Audit Support and Costing Tools

Image-guided Radiofrequency Excision Biopsy of Breast Lesion: Audit Support

Sinus Tarsi Implant Insertion for Mobile Flatfoot: Audit Support

PANDEMIC INFLUENZA

Pandemic influenza: guidance on meeting the needs of those who are or may become vulnerable during the pandemic (5th August 2009)
This is an update of draft guidance published in August 2008. This updated guidance is to support organisations in their planning for those people who are or may become vulnerable during the pandemic.
Guidance

PARENTING

Free online service helps first-time parents (10th August 2009)
A new interactive website to help parents and carers keep their babies healthy, happy and safe is being rolled out nationally today by the Department of Health. NHS Baby LifeCheck is designed to provide information and advice to mums, dads and carers of babies aged five to eight months.
Information

PRESCRIBING

Allied health professions prescribing and medicines supply mechanisms scoping project report (10th August 2009)
A report of an initial piece of work to determine if there is an evidence base for further work to extend prescribing and medicines supply mechanisms by allied health professions. The report makes recommendations for future phased work.
Report

SOCIAL CARE

Market Facilitation - Transforming the Market for Social Care (4th August 2009)
In order to transform social care to make it fit for the purpose of meeting changing needs and the more challenging agenda of a more personalised approach to service provision, commissioners are tasked with the role of influencing and shaping local care markets. A series of papers on different aspects of facilitating markets has been commissioned by the Better Commissioning Programme.
Papers

STATISTICS

Stomach cancer cases almost halve over the last 30 years (6th August 2009)
Table
Press Release

Report on the National Patient Choice Survey, England - March 2009 (6th August 2009)

Imaging and radiodiagnostic activity, 2008/09 (5th August 2009)

Effectiveness of child and adolescent mental health services (6th August)

NHS Vacancy Survey - England, 31 March 2009 (6th August 2009)

GP Practice Vacancies Survey 2009 (6th August 2009)

Dental Earnings and Expenses, Northern Ireland, 2007/08, Experimental Statistics (4th August 2009)

GP Extended Opening Hours - July 2009 (11th August 2009)

Hospital Episode Statistics: Admitted patient care - Provisional Monthly HES for Admitted patient care and outpatient data April - April 2009/10 (11th August 2009)

Dental Commissioning 09/10 June (6th August 2009)

Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Provisional Estimates - Quarter 1 2009 (6th August 2009)

Reported Road Casualties in Great Britain: Provisional Estimates for Accidents and Casualties Involving Illegal Alcohol Levels - 2008 (6th August 2009)