CANCER

Manual for Cancer Services 2008: Complementary Measures (9th October 2009)
Following a three month consultation period, this is the final version of the complementary measures for inclusion in the Manual for Cancer Services. The measures can also be found on the CQUINS website.
Guidance

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

CONSULTATIONS

PbR data assurance framework 2010/11 onwards - consultation (3rd August 2009)
The Audit Commission have launched this consultation to review the programme that has been running for three years. Some of the things that are being proposed are:

• Primary care trusts should be more integral in determining risks and the local audit programme
• Greater appreciation of local knowledge, information and management arrangements should be built into future processes
• The programme should enable the Audit Commission to discharge their responsibility to provide national assurance of the quality of data underpinning PbR and other key systems.

Closing date for comments is 2nd October 2009.
Consultation

A joint consultation on the Report to Ministers from the DH Steering Group on the Statutory Regulation of Practitioners of Acupuncture, Herbal Medicine and Other Traditional Medicine Systems Practised in the UK (3rd August 2009)
This consultation is launched jointly by the four health departments in the UK.

The consultation seeks respondents’ views on whether, and if so how, to regulate acupuncturists, herbal medicine practitioners and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioners. It focuses on the purpose of regulation – public protection - explains the difference between professional regulation (whether statutory or voluntary) and system regulation, and explores the links between the work of the DH Steering Group on the statutory regulation of acupuncture, herbal medicine and TCM and the Regulation White Paper Working Group on Extending Professional Regulation. Closing date for comments is 2nd November 2009.
Consultation

Consultation on the de-authorisation of NHS foundation trusts (27th July 2009)
The overwhelming majority of foundation trust hospitals are high performing, providing patients with the highest quality of care. But their status must always be seen as a privilege and not a one-way ticket. Foundation trusts should not retain their freedoms where they are clearly failing their patients and where a loss of public confidence has occurred. The failings at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust exposed a need for changes to the current regulations and the Government is therefore consulting on changes to:

• enable Monitor, in certain circumstances, to de-authorise a foundation trust and remove its foundation status, subject to agreement of the Secretary of State; and
• enable the Secretary of State, in certain circumstances, to request formally that Monitor takes specific action to intervene in or de-authorise a foundation trust. If Monitor decides not to de-authorise, or take the other action requested by the Secretary of State, then the regulator would be required to fully justify this in a written public report and set out the alternative steps it will take.

Closing date for comments is 18th September 2009.
Consultation

New Horizons: towards a shared vision for mental health - consultation (23rd July 2009)
Good mental health is fundamental to the well-being and prosperity of England. In the last decade, greater investment and reforms have transformed mental health care, but now we need to go further.

We need to target the root causes of mental illness and support the local development of higher quality, more personalised services.

New Horizons sets out ideas for achieving this. It explores the prevention of mental illness and earlier intervention when things go wrong. It also looks at how services can become more innovative and work more effectively together. Closing date for comments is 15th October 2009.
Consultation

Front-of-pack nutrition labelling for pre-packed foods sold through retail outlets in the UK (30th July 2009)
This consultation seeks views on practical issues that need to be resolved for an integrated front-of-pack nutrition labelling approach to work in real-life settings and help consumers to make healthier choices. Closing date for comments is 5th November 2009.
Consultation

ALTERNATIVE/COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Report to Ministers from the Department of Health steering group on the statutory regulation of practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and other traditional medicine systems practiced in the UK (18th June 2008)
The Department of Health Steering Group was established in summer 2006 by Jane Kennedy, then Minister of State at the Department of Health, and was invited to prepare the ground for the regulation of practitioners of acupuncture, herbal medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and other traditional medicine systems practised in the UK. In particular, the Steering Group was asked to identify issues and propose options in relation to education and training, registration, fitness to practise and other essential aspects of regulation.
Click here for the Report

ALTERNATIVE/COMPLEMENTARY MEDICINE

Regulating Complementary Medical Practitioners – An International Review (March 2008)
Complementary medical practitioners may be a distinct minority in places such as Europe, North America and Australia, but in other countries the number of practitioners and the people who use their services are in the majority. Many practitioners practise without qualification or adequate training, and in response to this the World Health Organization has recommended that governments develop national policies that include regulation of practice, education, training and licensing. In this report the experiences of 16 countries in regards to this issue are reviewed.
Click here for the Review
Click here for the Case Studies, Annex and References