CARE/CARERS

The revised National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care (13th January 2010)
This letter draws the attention of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities to two aspects of the revised National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care in terms of governance and commissioning.
Framework

NHS

Directions to NHS bodies concerning the cost of telephone calls 2009 (22nd December 2009)
These Directions came into force on 21st December 2009.
Directions

The NHS operating framework for England for 2010/11 (16th December 2009)
The operating framework for the NHS for 2010/11 sets out the priorities for the NHS for the year ahead to enable them to begin their planning.

For the third year in a row, the national priorities in the operating framework remain the same, providing important stability. The five priorities continue to be:

• improving cleanliness and reducing healthcare associated infections;
• improving access through achievement of the 18-week referral to treatment pledge and improving access (including at evenings and weekends) to GP services;
• keeping adults and children well, improving their health and reducing health inequalities;
• improving patient experience, staff satisfaction, and engagement; and
• preparing to respond in a state of emergency such as an outbreak of pandemic flu, learning from our experience of swine flu.

Framework

NHS 2010-2015: from good to great. Preventative, people-centred, productive (10th December 2009)
Secretary of State Andy Burnham introduces a five-year plan to reshape the NHS to meet the challenge of delivering high quality health care in a tough financial environment. The report describes practical measures to meet the demands of an aging population and the increased prevalence of lifestyle diseases. The vision is for an NHS that is organised around patients whether at home, in a community setting or in hospital. There will be a renewed focus on prevention with the ambition of delivering cost-effective high quality care across the service.
Command Paper

The Human Factor (November 2009)
The National Health Service needs to save £15 billion to £20 billion over the next few years.

This paper argues that these savings could be achieved through radical patient-centred service redesign and more effective approaches to public behaviour change. However, these approaches are difficult to develop within the existing health service.
Paper

Conservative Draft Manifesto 2010. Chapter One: Our reform plan for the NHS (4th January 2009)
The Conservative party have set out their plans for healthcare if they win the election. Some of the main points are:

• NHS providers to become Foundation Trusts
• Patients to be in charge of own health records with ability to choose which providers they share them with
• GPs' to hold patients' budgets and commission are on their behalf
• Link GPs' pay to quality of results they deliver
• Create an independent NHS board to allocate resources to different parts of the country
• Turn the Department of Health into a Department of Public Health
• Provide separate public health funding to local authorities

Document

PAYMENT BY RESULTS

Payment by Results data assurance framework 2008/09 (27th August 2009)
This report presents the key findings and analysis of the 2008/09 national clinical coding audit programme managed by the Audit Commission under the Payment by Results (PbR) Data Assurance Framework.

The report shows that the number of errors made by NHS trusts under the Payment by Results (PbR) system is falling, but there are continuing concerns about the poor quality of some medical records.
Framework
PbR data assurance framework good practice and case studies
PbR results 2008/09 by organisation

Payment by Results update (14th August 2009)
This briefing details the latest PbR developments.
Update

NHS

Taking it on trust: a review of how boards of NHS trusts and foundation trusts get their assurance (29th April 2009)
This report reviews the rigour with which boards of NHS trusts and foundation trusts operate the governance structures and processes to assure themselves that their organisation is operating effectively and meeting their strategic objectives. It includes recommendations for government and trusts as well as questions for board members to ask themselves about their current arrangements.
Report

Summary
Presentation
Checklist
Leeds Case Study
Plymouth Case Study

NHS Reference Costs 2007-08 (8th May 2009)
These documents provide details on how and on what almost £44billion of NHS expenditure was used in the 2007/08 financial year.
Documents

Necessity - not nicety: a new commercial operating model for the NHS and Department of Health (7th May 2009)
The new Commercial Operating Model will further enhance commercial and procurement skills across the NHS in helping to deliver high quality and personalised care for patients.
Report

NHS Performance Framework: Implementation guidance (24th April 2009)
The Performance Framework sets out the Department of Health's approach to identifying underperforming NHS organisations and stipulates when intervention should occur in such organisations
Framework

PHARMACY

:Pharmacy Practice 2008. Medicines focussed & Patient Centred. Pharmacy Practice Framework (17th February 2009)
This framework, published by Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, defines the core common roles expected of a newly qualified pharmacist and aims to demonstrate their contribution to health and health care delivery.
Framework

The Contribution of Pharmacy to making Britain a Safer Place to Take Medicines (18th February 2009)
This report, from Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, calls for a five to 10 year action plan to be drawn up by pharmacists and other key healthcare providers to improve medicines safety. It also makes recommendations for further practice.
Report

Impact assessment of pharmacy market exit policy (18th February 2009)

COMMISSIONING

Transforming respiratory and sleep diagnostic services to deliver 18 weeks - a Good Practice Guide (9th February 2009)
This guide supports the continued delivery of low wait planned care services associated with the 18 week target and the clinical visions outlined by each of the 10 SHAs in England as part of Lord Darzi’s Next Stage Review of the NHS. Including evidence and new pathways, it aims to help commissioners understand where respiratory and sleep services fit into their local strategy for clinical care and providers by suggesting innovative ways in which these services can be improved and delivered for the benefit of patients.
Guide

Guidance on the routine collection of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) (6th February 2009)
This document contains detailed guidance on the routine collection of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) for elective procedures from 1 April 2009 and is intended to support providers and PCT commissioners to implement the requirement to collect PROMs contained in the standard NHS contract for acute services.
Guidance

Compact Commissioning Guidance (9th February 2009)
New implementation guidance on commissioning has been published by the Commission for the Compact in response to local authorities and other public sector bodies increasingly commissioning third sector organisations to provide pubic services. The guidance takes a four stage approach to the commissioning process. It highlights the importance of effective analysis, planning, sourcing, and monitoring and review, and explains the ways in which the Compact can be applied during each of the stages.
Guidance

Never Events Framework 2009/10 (February 2009)
Never Events are serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if the available preventative measures have been implemented. The National Patient Safety Agency has worked with stakeholders to co-produce this Framework. It sets out guidance for PCT commissioners on implementing the Never Events policy and builds on existing processes and mechanisms.
Framework

Securing better health for children and young people through world class commissioning: a guide to support delivery of healthy lives, brighter futures: The strategy for children and young people's health (12th February)
This guide to commissioning will support commissioners in delivering the vision set out in the accompanying child health strategy, Healthy lives, brighter futures by (a) using the world class commissioning competencies and (b) aligning the commissioning cycles across agencies.
Guide

Commissioning IAPT for the whole community: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (6th February 2009)
This document is intended to assist commissioners (including practice-based commissioners), to deliver Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services that are effective and appropriate for the whole community, using innovative ways of meeting the needs of local people.
Document

Conference: World Class Commissioning & Benchmarking (17th February 2009)
NHS PCC and NHS Benchmarking will hold a full day event to present the outcome of the new primary medical care benchmarking product and the benchmarking of world class commissioning competencies. The event will be of interest to PCT Board Directors, Primary care leads, Primary care commissioners and WCC commissioning leads. The event will take place in London on 26th March 2009.
Information

PHARMACY

NICE Clinical Guideline 76: Medicines Adherence - Quick reference sheet for pharmacists (11th February 2009)

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has developed Implementation Guidance to enable pharmacists to help patients understand why and how to take their medicines. The NICE guidance on Medicines Adherence is particulary relevant to pharmacists as they interact with patients in the context of prescribing, dispensing or medicine reviews.
Quick Reference Sheet

Pharmacy Practice: Medicines focussed and patient centred (17th February 2009)
The first ever Pharmacy Practice Framework has been published by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society outlining the many roles and functions which pharmacists are responsible and accountable for in their daily professional lives.
Framework

Repeat dispensing guidance (5th February 2009)
NHS Employers, the General Practitioners Committee and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee have produced joint on-line guidance for practices, to support the implementation of repeat dispensing.
Guidance