DOCTORS

Fitness to practice audit report. Audit of health professional regulatory bodies' initial decisions (15th March 2010)
The profession and the public can be confident that ensuring patient and public safety is at the core of all the fitness to practise decisions made by the General Medical Council, an audit by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE) finds.

The audit, the first of its kind undertaken by the CHRE, found that the GMC's processes and procedures for cases involving doctors whose fitness to practise is in doubt are "effective" and are "dealt with in a timely manner". Patient and public safety, and maintaining public confidence in doctors, are the highest priorities for the GMC's operations.
Report

GUIDANCE/GUIDELINES

Clinical practice guidelines for the assessment of young women aged 20-24 with abnormal vaginal bleeding (3rd March 2010)

Following a review of the cervical screening age by the Advisory Committee on Cervical Screening (ACCS) in May 2009 (at which members unanimously agreed that the screening start age should remain at age 25), the committee has produced new guidance for primary care on the management of young women who present with gynaecological symptoms.

The guidance was produced by a multi-disciplinary group, including professionals, patients and the voluntary sector.

Guidance

GENERAL PRACTICE

A survey of general practitioners' knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding the prevention and management of alcohol-related problems: an update of a World Health Organization survey ten years on (February 2010)
The aim of this study, from the Alcohol Education and Research Council (AERC), was to assess the current knowledge, attitudes and practices of GPs concerning brief alcohol intervention and to examine whether these had changed over the last ten years and in light of recent health policy initiatives.
Report

PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS

GP out of hours services: letter from David Nicholson (4th February 2010)
This letter announces the publication of the report 'General practice out-of-hours services: project to consider and assess current arrangements'
Letter

General practice out-of-hours services: project to consider and assess current arrangements (4th February 2010)
In June 2009, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) began an investigation into the provision of out-of-hours primary care services in five PCTs by Take Care Now (TCN). The CQC’s enquiry was prompted by the tragic death of a patient in February 2008 after he was administered 100mg of diamorphine by a locum doctor from Germany. In October 2009, the CQC issued an interim statement on this investigation, which prompted David Colin-Thomé to write to PCTs, and the Minister of State for Health, Mike O’Brien, to ask the Department of Health to jointly lead a short piece of work to review the local commissioning and provision of out-of-hours services.
Report

Delivering Quality in Primary Care: Performers Lists - Language Knowledge (4th February 2010)
Interim guidance to PCTs in England to assist in making decisions about whether or not a doctor has sufficient knowledge of English to be included on the local performers list.
Guidance

Commissioning Health. A comparison of English Primary Care Trusts. Preliminary statistical analysis (February 2010)
This report, based on preliminary research which brings together a range of economic analysis methods, compares the efficiency of the English PCTs in producing a valued output; the health of their populations, in relation to the costs expended, as measured through programme budgeting data.

The key message for policy makers is that all PCTS are performing at a similar level and there would need to be considerable action at system level to achieve significant change in the efficiency of PCTs.
Report

Chemotherapy Services in the Community: a Guide for PCTs (18th February 2010)
Chemotherapy Services in the Community provides a guide to PCTs on the potential to develop chemotherapy services in the community. It will help each PCT, together with their Cancer Network, to consider whether there are further opportunities to devolve chemotherapy from cancer centres and cancer units to community settings while maintaining safety and quality and delivering an efficient service.
Guidance

GENERAL PRACTICE

Reforming general practice boundaries (26th January 2010)
Reforming the way in which GP practice boundaries divide primary care services between patients is an attractive prospect for politicians and the general public.

The current government in England has stated that it intends to remove these boundaries altogether, while the Conservative Party has declared that patients should be able to register with the practice most convenient to them.

This review, from the British Medical Association (BMA), explores the many consequences and potential opportunities that implementing this proposal presents.
Document

The Future of General Practice in Northern Ireland (20th January 2010)
This strategy has been developed by the BMA(NI) and Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP(NI)) on the future of general practice.
Strategy

PATIENT AND PUBLIC INFORMATION

"Choosing your Hospital" leaflets and poster (20th January 2010)
Leaflets and posters with information on patients right to choose which hospital they attend.
Information

GENERAL PRACTICE

RCGP Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners - Version 3.0 (18th January 2010)
The Royal College of General Practitioners has updated it's revalidation guide. The key changes include:

• Adoption of the use of the phrase “supporting information” in place of “evidence”, in keeping with other relevant organisations
• Adjustment of the timelines to reflect the fact that the Early Adopters programme (in which the first doctors will revalidate) will now start in the year 2011/12
• The possibility of GPs submitting a quality improvement project in the place of a second clinical audit
• Reference to the revalidation of GPs in training
• Simplification of the Learning Credits (Supporting information area 6)
• A refinement of the definition of activities included in extended practice (Supporting information area 13)
• Emphasis of the discretion that will be required by Responsible Officers for assessing supporting information for revalidation.

Guide

PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS

PCT Value for money profiles (15th January 2010)
The new primary care trust (PCT) value for money (VfM) profiles are available as an interactive web tool.

The tool provides comparative information about a selected PCT's performance in managing costs and delivering outputs (activities) and outcomes (health improvements for local people). It also tracks performance over time to see whether improvements are being achieved in line with priorities and how the trend in performance compares to others.
Tool

Practice-based commissioning budget guidance for 2010/11 (14th January 2010)
PCTs are responsible for ensuring that practices receive an indicative budget that reflects the needs of their population as accurately as possible. This allows a practice to access a 'fair share' of the resources available to the whole of the PCT for its patients. The Department has updated the toolkit that can be used to determine weighted capitation indicative budgets at practice level. This is part of our ongoing commitment to refine the methodology and improve accuracy.
Toolkit

GP Extended Opening Hours (7th January 2010)
PCTs are to continue to progress extended opening hours in GP practices, particularly for patients of practices who are not offering this service. The current DES rolls forward in 2010/11 and PCTs are asked to submit plans saying how they will make full use of the resources available for extended opening.
Document

PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS

Use of Resources Good Practice and Case Studies (17th December 2009)
To help auditors and audited bodies identify good practice, the Audit Commission have published some case studies from the 2008/09 auditors' use of resources work.
Case Studies

An overview of the new arrangements under Park IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliances, and related services in primary care (22nd December 2009)
The Department of Health have published guidance on the new arrangements, as announced in April 2009 following the Part IX Review for the NHS supply of certain appliances in primary care require changes to the NHS Pharmaceutical Service Regulations, Directions and amendments to the Drug Tariff.

The new regulations will come into effect on 1st April 2010 and a transitional period of nine months from 1 April 2010 gives pharmacies and appliance contractors sufficient time to ensure they are able to comply with the new terms of service by 31 December 2010.
Guidance

Out of hours training for GP registrars (17th December 2009)
Letter to PCTs Chief Executives regarding their responsibility to commission increased GP Out of Hours training.
Letter

PANDEMIC INFLUENZA

Advice from the H1N1 Critical Care Clinical Group (2nd December 2009)
Letter introducing documents prepared by the Clinical Group to support the NHS in ensuring that critical care arrangements are strengthened during both the current H1N1 pandemic and any future, potentially more serious, pandemic strain.
Information

Flowchart for triage: swine flu patients - for GP practice managers and receptions (2nd December 2009)
The Department of Health and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have produced a flowchart to assist GP receptionists to determine which symptomatic swine flu patients should be seen most urgently - particularly in the case of patients referred by the National Pandemic Flu Service (NPFS)
Guidance

Swine flu: updated guidance for mental health services (26th November 2009)
This is updated guidance for Mental Health services and partners on planning and responding to the Swine Flu H1N1 pandemic.
Guidance

Swine flu and rough sleepers for organisations working with rough sleepers in England (25th November 2009)
This information has been prepared for those who are working with or providing services for rough sleepers during the swine flu pandemic. It provides advice on how to support rough sleepers and signposts to guidance and other useful sources.
Guidance

A(H1N1) swine flu influenza: phase two of the vaccination programme; children over 6 months and under 5 years (8th December 2009)
Ian Dalton, National Director for NHS Flu Resilience, has today written out to Chief Executives of Primary Care Trusts in England to update them on plans for phase two of the swine flu vaccination programme.
Information

PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS

Safeguarding children and primary medical care (1st December 2009)
This letter seeks to provide clarity on the specific actions PCTs should take with regard to their primary medical services, to outline the actions that GPs themselves should be taking and the steps that PCTs should take to support GPs, in response to Recommendation 34 of the report The protection of children in England; a progress report (Lord Laming, March 2009).
Information

BULLETINS/NEWSLETTERS

FSA News No. 92, November 2009 (10th November 2009)

Environmental Public Health Quarterly Bulletin, issue 15, November 2009 (16th November 2009)

Health Protection Report, Vol. 3 No. 45 (13th November 2009)

Health Protection Report, Vol. 3 No. 46 (20th November 2009)

RCGP News - November 2009 (November 2009)

Emergency Care Bulletin, Issue 63, November 2009 (11th November 2009)

CSO Bulletin, Issue 5, November 2009 (23rd November 2009)

GP and Practice Team Bulletin, Issue 89, November 2009 (19th November 2009)

Social Care Bulletin, Issue 12, November 2009 (November 2009)

COMMISSIONING

Commercial and procurement skills (November 2009)
It is vital that commissioners of children's services have access to the commercial and procurement skills needed to develop markets and procure services effectively. Every Child Matters have collated resources which signposts commissioners to online commercial and procurement tools, case studies, guidance and sources of information for skill development that have been used or recommended by other professionals working in this field.
Resources

Service for people at risk of developing glaucoma (November 2009)
NICE have added this commissioning guide to their other commissioning guides. The guide focuses on the referral and monitoring of people who have ocular hypertension or suspected chronic open angle glaucoma and should be read with NICE clinical guideline CG85.
Guide

Beyond Practice-based Commissioning: the local clinical partnership (24th November 2009)
Practice-based commissioning (PBC) has been a cornerstone of the government’s health service reforms in England since it was introduced in 2005, but it has so far had limited success. With the NHS about to enter a period in which growth in its budget will be severely constrained, it is vital that clinicians, especially doctors, are engaged in decisions about how patient services are designed and delivered and how NHS money is spent.

With the future of PbC in the balance, this joint paper by the Nuffield Trust and the NHS Alliance examines how PBC can be developed. While there may be many ways this could happen, this paper considers one broad model – that of multi-specialty groups of clinicians – for example GPs as well as hospital-based specialists – taking responsibility for the provision and commissioning of local healthcare.
Paper

User and carer involvement in Commissioning - an opportunity for PCTs to be world class (November 2009)
The Mental Health Improvement Programme (MHIP) and the National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) are about to launch a project of work targeting PCTs to develop and refine methods and processes for increasing engagement and involvement of service users, carers and the public in key areas of the commissioning cycle for mental health and related services.

In the coming weeks PCTs will be invited to collaborate in this initiative as contribution to World Class Commissioning Competency.
Information

BULLETINS/NEWSLETTERS

FSA News No. 91 October 2009 (14th October 2009)

Health Protection Report Vol. 3 No. 41 (16th October 2009)

Health Protection Report Vol. 3 No. 42 (23rd October 2009)

RCGP News - October 2009 (October 2009)

CNO Bulletin, Issue 82, October 2009 (27th October 2009)

GP and Practice Team Bulletin, Issue 88, October 2009 (15th October 2009)

Medical directors' bulletin, Issue 97, October 2009 (22nd October 2009)

GENERAL PRACTICE

General Practice in England - An Overview (25th September 2009)
General practice has changed considerably over the past decade. Practice size has increased, the workforce has grown and become more diverse, the range of services offered has expanded, and the contracting and financing arrangements for GPs have changed. Current government policy aims to improve access and choice for patients, to enable greater self-management by people with long-term conditions, to expand the role of GPs in areas such as health promotion, to reduce variations in the quality of care provided and to improve quality overall. In the next few years, accreditation will be introduced for GP practices, and new models for commissioning and delivering care will be expanded.

This briefing, from The King's Fund, sets out how general practice is organised, contracted and financed; analyses the impact of recent government policy; and looks at future trends.
Briefing

STATISTICS

Monthly Digest of Statistics - September 2009 (25th September 2009)

Quarterly Population Estimates (experimental) - Q2 2009 and revised Q3 2007 to Q1 2009 (25th September 2009)

Estimates of Household Population for England and Wales (experimental) - Mid 2008 (25th September 2009)

Genito-Urinary Medicine Access Monthly Monitoring - July 2009 (24th September 2009)

Food Statistics Pocketbook 2009 (24th September 2009)

Road Casualties in England: Local Authority Tables - 2008 Results (24th September 2009)

Reported Road Casualties Great Britain Annual Report - 2008 Edition (24th September 2009)

Population Trends No 137 (24th September 2009)

Place Survey - England - 2008 Further Results (23rd September 2009)

Autism Spectrum Disorders in adults living in households throughout England - report from the Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey 2007 (22nd September 2009)

NHS Referral to Treatment Waiting Times - July 2009 (17th September 2009)

Direct Access Audiology Waiting Times - July 2009 (17th September 2009)

NHS Staff Earnings April to June 2009 (17th September 2009)

Referrals, assessments and children and young people who are the subject of a child protection plan, England - Year ending 31 March 2009 (17th September 2009)

Population estimates of the very elderly (experimental) - Mid 2008 estimates (17th September 2009)

Investment in General Practice: England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland - 2003/04 to 2008/09 (16th September 2009)

GP Earnings and Expenses - 2007/08 Provisional report (16th September 2009)

Supporting People - Quarterly Client Records and Outcomes - April 2008 to March 2009 - Finalised (16th September 2009)

Labour Market Statistics - September 2009 (16th September 2009)

Regional Labour Market Statistics - September 2009 (16th September 2009)

Practice-based commissioning: GP practice survey (wave 8) (30th September 2009)

Bed availability and occupancy, 2008-09 (30th September 2009)

Quality and Outcomes Framework, 2008/09 Achievement data (29th September 2009)

Statistics on Smoking, England 2009 (29th September 2009)

Social Care and Mental Health Indicators from the National Indicator Set - further analysis, provisional, England 2008-09 (30th September 2009)

Community Care Statistics: Social Services Activity, England - Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities tables, provisional, 2008-09 (30th September 2009)

Personal Social Services Expenditure and Unit Costs, England Provisional 2008-09 (30th September 2009)

Personal Social Services: Home Care Users Aged 65 or over, England - Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities tables, provisional, 2008-09 (30th September 2009)

Routine Mental Health Minimum Dataset (MHMDS) Data Quality (Trust Analysis) Reports - Quarter 3 2008/09 (delayed from June 30th and 13th August for technical reasons) (30th September 2009)

GENERAL PRACTICE

New PAGB/RCGP Flu leaflet to be delivered to Pharmacies and GP surgeries (11th September 2009)
The Proprietary Association of Great Britain (PAGB) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have jointly published a new leaflet "The battle against flu and colds". The leaflet will be delivered to pharmacies and GP surgeries across the UK from 14th September 2009.
Leaflet

GENERAL PRACTICE

Shared Record Professional Guidance (SRPG) (18th August 2009)
The purpose of the Shared Record Professional Guidance (SRPG) project was to develop a set of professionally led guidelines that would consider the governance, medico-legal and patient safety consequences of Shared Electronic Patient Record (SEPR) systems in primary care. Dr Alan Hassey FRCGP said "The publication of these SRPG principles, underpinned by sound research, is likely to guide and accelerate the processes of information sharing that are crucial for improving care.

We hope the report, which was commissioned by NHS Connecting for Health (NHS CFH), will prove immediately useful to a wide range of professional groups, and that the principles established are worthy of wider consideration throughout the NHS."
Guidance
News

STATISTICS

Social Housing Sales to sitting tenants, England, 2008-09 (27th August 2009)

NHS Cancer waiting times figures, April to June 2009 (28th August 2009)

NHS inpatient and outpatient waiting times figures, 31 July 2009 (28th August 2009)

NHS cancelled operations, quarter ending 30 June 2009 (14th August 2009)

General Ophthalmic Services: Activity Statistics for England and Wales, Year Ending 31st March 2009 (19th August 2009)

Trends in consultation rates in General Practice - 1995-2009 (2nd September 2009)

Infant and perinatal mortality 2008: health areas, England and Wales (2nd September 2009)

Critical Care Beds - England July 2009 (27th August 2009)

Population Estimations August 2009 (27th August 2009)

Birth Summary Tables, England and Wales - 2008 (final) (27th August 2009)

Direct Access Audiology Waiting Times - June 2009 (26th August 2009)

Health Statistics Quarterly - Autumn 2009 No. 43 (26th August 2009)

Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales, 2008 (26th August 2009)
Publication
Dataset

Quarterly conceptions to women aged under 18 - England and Wales, Q2 (26th August 2009)

Cancer incidence and mortality in the United Kingdom and constituent countries, 2004-2006 (26th August 2009)

Unexplained deaths in infancy, England and Wales, 2007 (26th August 2009)

Monthly digest of Statistics, August 2009 (25th August 2009)

Genito-Urinary Medicine Access Monthly Monitoring - June 2009 (20th August 2009)

NHS Stop Smoking Services in England - Annual Report (April 2008 to March 2009)

NHS Dental Statistics for England: 2008/09 (19th August 2009)

Provisional Clinical Dental Report - England and Wales: Quarter 3, 31 December 2008 - Experimental Statistics (19th August 2009)

Deaths involving MRSA: England and Wales, 2004-2008 (19th August 2009)

Deaths involving Clostridium difficile: England and Wales 2004-2008 (19th August 2009)

Accident and Emergency Activity - Quarter ending June 2009 (14th August 2009)

NHS Referral to Treatment Waiting Times - June 2009 (13th August 2009)

Labour Market Statistics - August 2009 (12th August 2009)

Regional Labour Market Statistics - North West, August 2009 (12th August 2009)

NHS Immunisation Statistics England 2008-09 (3rd September 2009)

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