CONSULTATIONS

Review of access to the NHS by foreign nationals (26th February 2010)
This consultation provides the public and others with the opportunity to comment on proposed changes to the charging Regulations for overseas visitors requiring hospital treatment and the recovery of any charges, and also initial thinking around possible future introduction of health insurance for some visitors. This may also be of interest to UK nationals/residents.

Closing date for comments is 30th June 2010
Consultation

Consultation on a Strategy for Services for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) in England (23rd February 2010)
Since 2005 the Department of Health (DH), the NHS, patients, clinicians and other key stakeholders have been working together to identify the best ways to improve care and outcomes for those with COPD and to reduce the overall prevalence of the disease.

The DH aim to produce a strategy that will:

• ensure that everyone diagnosed with COPD receives equitable, responsive, high quality and effective provision of health and social care services from the right person, at the right time, in the right place, that are cost effective and provide good value for money for taxpayers.
• advise how local communities can prevent people getting COPD, understand the risks of having poor lung health, secure improvements to the diagnosis and care of people with the disease, and reduce health inequalities.
• support people with COPD and their carers by offering practical advice and education on managing their disease.

Closing date for comments is 6th April 2010.
Consultation

Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010 (25th February 2010)
The Teenage Pregnancy Strategy: Beyond 2010 document sets out how the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) want to build on the existing Teenage Pregnancy Strategy to strengthen its delivery in all local areas and make further progress towards halving the under 18 conception rate and improving outcomes for teenage parents and their children. The Strategy aims to give young people the knowledge and skills they need to delay early sex until they are ready, to ensure they are able and confident to access and use effective contraception when they do become sexually active, and to provide effective support for teenage parents. Success depends on the contribution from a range of agencies. The DCSF welcome your views to help inform the next phase of the Strategy.

Closing date for comments is 20th May 2010.
Consultation

Adult Social Care. A consultation paper (24th February 2010)

This consultation, published by the Law Commission, contains their detailed proposals for law reform.

Provisional proposals include:

• establishing a core set of overarching principles to guide social care decisions;
• introducing a single and explicit duty to assess individuals’ needs;
• a duty on local authorities to provide community services for all those eligible;
• the introduction of a single duty to assess the needs of any carer;
• a statutory duty on local authorities to investigate when they suspect that vulnerable adults are being abused or neglected.

Closing date for comments is 1st July 2010.
Consultation

Revalidation: the way ahead (1st March 2010)
The General Medical Council (GMC) has launched a major consultation on proposals for a new process of medical regulation to assure patients, employers and other healthcare practitioners that licensed doctors are up to date and fit to practise. The process is called revalidation. In future, all licensed doctors will need to revalidate on a regular basis if they wish to keep their licence to practise.

Closind date for comments is 4th June 2010.
Consultation

Your choice of GP practice: a consultation on how to enable to register with the GP practice of their choice (4th March 2010)

This consultation is seeking views from the public, from healthcare professionals and from other staff working in the NHS on new proposals that give patients a much greater choice of GP practice.

The consultation sets out the different options for organising healthcare for patients, and the potential implications of their choices if the current system of GP practice boundaries is removed.

It has been developed following a period of initial engagement with NHS colleagues, GPs, practice managers, and professional and patient groups.

Closing date for comments is 28th May 2010.

Consultation