Revision of professional roles and quality improvement. A review of the evidence (26th February 2010)This report, from the Health Foundation, considers the impact of professional role revision on quality of care and outcomes. It focuses on two types of changes to professional roles:
- Substitution – exchanging one type of professional for another.
- Supplementation – extending the range of service provision within one health delivery system.
This report focuses on the revision of roles between doctors and:- advanced practice nurses such as nurse practitioners, specialist nurses, clinical nurses and practice nurses
- physician assistants pharmacists
- allied healthcare professionals such as physical therapists (referred to as physiotherapists in this review), speech and language therapists, dietitians and paramedics.
The report finds that there is no detrimental effect of revising or extending the roles of non-medical professionals, and in some cases there is a positive effect on the quality of patient care.
Report
The standard NHS contracts for acute hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services and supporting guidance (18th January 2010)The NHS standard contracts for Mental Health and Learning Disability, Ambulance Services, Acute Hospital and Community Services are published today.
The contracts support the NHS Operating Framework for 20010-2011: The contracts should be read in conjunction with the Principles and Rules for Co-operation and Competition and the PCT Procurement Guide.
Documents Funding and Performance of Healthcare Systems in the Four Countries of the UK Before and After Devolution (20th January 2010)Political devolution means there are now four National Health Services in the United Kingdom. The health services of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all funded by the UK taxpayer, but have developed different systems of governance and different methods of providing healthcare.
Funding and Performance of Healthcare Systems in the Four Countries of the UK Before and After Devolution examines the impact of this by studying key performance indicators for the NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at three time points – 1996/7, 2002/3 and 2006/7. The report also undertakes a completely new comparison of NHS performance in the English regions and the devolved countries. This is the first time such an analysis has been conducted.
Report The operating framework for the NHS in England 2010/11 (4th January 2010)This briefing details the key points of the operating framework, the white paper and the Pre-Budget Report.
Briefing NHS European Office: policy priorities 2010 (5th January 2010)The NHS European Office has published its policy priorities for 2010. The work of the European Office covers a wide range of EU policy and legislative proposals of key relevance to the NHS; as a provider and commissioner of healthcare, as an employer and as a business.
This document outlines the main policy areas on which the European Office will be working throughout the calendar year.
Document The new EU Remedies Directive: proven procurement is of the essence (13th January 2010)New EU rules which improve access to rapid and effective review procedures for suppliers who allege that public authorities have breached procurement rules have taken effect in the UK.
The EU Remedies Directive amends the UK Public Contract Regulations and will affect all procurement contracts commenced after 20 December 2009.
The NHS European Office have published this briefing to raise awareness amongst NHS managers involved in procurement of the key changes to the rules and to highlight new provisions in the law which public authorities can use to protect themselves from challenge.
Briefing Controlling public spending: The NHS in a period of tight funding (7th January 2010)Policy Exchange research, which included a roundtable discussion with a number of senior academics and business leaders with expertise in the NHS, considers some of the options for the NHS in a period of tight funding. They believe that in order to protect the NHS into the future the next Government needs to make bold decisions on:
Performance related pay
Reducing variations in clinical practice
GP fundholding
Decommissioning services
Transformational change project
Report
Pandemic (H1N1) influenza: a summary of guidance for infection control in healthcare settings (8th January 2010)This document is an updated version of Pandemic flu: A summary of guidance for infection control in health care settings issued in September 2007. It is specific to the current pandemic influenza virus, pandemic (H1N1), and thus represents current guidance.
Guidance Pandemic influenza: summary infection control guidance for ambulance services during an influenza pandemic (8th January 2010)The purpose of this document is to set out concise summary guidance for infection control for the ambulance services and it is intended for use during the pandemic. The guidance in this document is equally applicable to lay responders, who should adopt the same infection control and hygiene measures.
Guidance
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
Achieving better value for money in health care (9th November 2009)Rising public health care spending remains a problem in virtually all Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and European Union (EU) member countries. As a consequence, there is growing interest in policies that will ease this pressure through improved health system performance. This report report examines selected policies that may help countries better achieve the goal of improved health system efficiency and thus better value for money.
The report is only available to buy, however the introduction and the table of contents are available to view.
Introduction
The Government's response to the Health Select Committee's report on the use of management consultants in the NHS and the Department of Health (22nd October 2009)This Command Paper sets out the Government's response to the House of Commons Health Select Committee's report on the use of management consultants by the NHS and the Department of Health.
Response Protecting the NHS in relation to patient mobility and cross-border healthcare: Draft regulations and guidance (21st October 2009)Case law from the European Court of Justice (ECJ) on patient mobility under Article 49 of the EU Treaty means that patients are able to seek any healthcare (including private care) in another European Economic Area (EEA) Member State, and, as long as they are entitled to the treatment in question under their home healthcare system, they are eligible to have their costs reimbursed. For patients travelling from the UK, this reimbursement can be up to the level of the cost for the same treatment provided in the UK under the NHS. Any additional costs must be met by the individual.
Patients from EEA countries can likewise pay to receive NHS treatment and claim reimbursement from their home health system.
Draft Guidance and Regulations Survey on 48 hour week Working Time Directive readiness (19th October 2009)The objective in conducting this survey was to review the readiness of NHS trusts for the introduction of the European Working Time Directive 48 hour working week in August 2009. This document was commissioned by DH in November 2008 and represented data collected in January 2009.
Report NHS as the preferred provider (13th October 2009)The Secretary of State’s recent speech at the King’s Fund focused on putting quality at the core of the NHS. He assured ‘the NHS is our preferred provider’. This letter shares with NHS Chief Executives how the Department of Health propose to move this policy forward through the development of future guidance.
Letter Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation (DSSA): principles (28th October 2009)Seventeen principles have been developed to ensure each organisation delivers the highest standards of privacy and dignity within all areas of a hospital, other trusts and providers. The principles support existing DSSA policy and guidance and aim to further clarify DSSA clinical definitions amongst leaders and staff within the NHS. It is intended for the principles to be used in conjunction with other guidance to drive forward improvement and ensure sustainability within each organisation.
Guidance
Access to healthcare abroad (2nd October 2009)This leaflet tells you about how you can get healthcare in other countries in the European Economic Area (EEA).
It covers:
- leisure or business trips;
- planned treatment;
- living abroad;
- working abroad;
- studying abroad.
Leaflet NHS Continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care: public information booklet (30th September 2009)This leaflet gives a summary of information for the public on NHS continuing healthcare and NHS-funded nursing care, including details of what an individual should do if they think they may be eligible.
Leaflet Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS): what it means for your long-term health (1st October 2009)This patient information leaflet has been published by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
Information
Swine flu pandemic advice (12th August 2009)The Care Quality Commission have developed advice for care providers during the swine flu pandemic. They have also specific questions and answers.
Information The safer management of controlled drugs - Annual Report 2008 (27th August 2009)The Care Quality Commission (CQC) today (Thursday) published a report detailing significant progress in implementing regulations introduced in response to the Shipman Inquiry, to monitor controlled drugs.
The Shipman Inquiry found that ineffective monitoring had allowed Dr Harold Shipman to obtain large quantities of diamorphine, which he used to kill at least 15 and possibly up to 200 patients.
The Controlled Drugs (Supervision of Management and Use) Regulations 2006 were introduced in January 2007. This is the second report on implementation of the regulations and covers progress made during 2008.
Report
Press Release
Fixing Healthcare: The Professionals' Perspective (March 2009)The Economist Intelligence Unit conducted a global survey of healthcare professionals in four economies - the United States of America, United Kingdom, Germany and India - between December 2008 and January 2009, about the issues they see as most urgent for their healthcare systems. This report, the first in a series of four, presents the findings of that survey.
Report Fit for recovery (March 2009)This report, from Reform, claims that the health sector has a sickness rate 50 per cent higher than in private firms and argues that incentivising individuals to get fit is more effective than relying on costly public health campaigns.
Report
Healthcare delivery models for prevention of CVD (26th March 2009)This report, from the Health Foundation, presents international evidence about how services might best prevent cardiovascular disease for commissioners and providers of health services.
Report NHS Health Check: Vascular Risk Assessment and Management Best Practice Guidance (3rd April 2009)To support Primary Care Trusts in their implementation of the vascular risk assessment and management programme this document provides best practice guidance and will help to ensure consistency across England.
Guidance
Quality of healthcare in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland: an intra-UK chartbook (12th March 2009)A new chartbook launched by the Health Foundation brings together data for the first time from across the four home nations of the UK to present a unique picture of quality. The chartbook shows that that all four countries in recent years have seen significant falls in mortality from cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke. Patient ratings of quality across the UK are also high, though all four countries are still trying to improve health inequalities between the best and worst among their populations.
Chartbook
Local healthcare commissioning: grassroots involvment? A national survey of health advocacy groups (18th February 2009)This report, from National Voices and Royal College of Nursing Local Healthcare Commissioning, reveals that many patients feel local healthcare commissioning (LHC), the process intended to ensure health and care services effectively meet the needs of the local population by engaging with patient representatives, is not working effectively. The report also identifies specialist nurses as the best placed healthcare professionals to make the commissioning process a success.
Press Release
Report
Appendix
Healthcare in Europe (18th February 2009)
Discussions are ongoing in Europe to decide new rules that should apply to patients seeking healthcare in other European countries at the expense of their home system. The NHS European Office carried out a consultation exercise to assess potential implications of the proposed legislation for the NHS. This Briefing summarises NHS views on some key aspects of the EU proposals.
Briefing
Across the Pond - Lessons from the US on Integrated Healthcare (21st January 2009)This report, by Richard Gleave, combines first-hand observations of how integrated care operates ‘across the pond’ in the United States, with suggested lessons for the UK’s health system. These lessons are important for policy-makers and for health and social care managers.Report
Impact assessment of the reformed CHRE Council (3rd December 2008)
Impact assessment of the Regulations reforming the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence.
Impact Assessment
Regulation of Health Care Provision in England (24th October 2008)
This briefing examines the recent history of the quality and safety, financial and economic regulation of health care providers in England. It describes the new regulatory machinery that is being introduced and considers how the relationship between these different regulatory systems may develop in the future.
Briefing
Human Rights in Healthcare - a Framework for Local Action (7th October 2008)
The Department of Health, the British Institute of Human Rights and 5 NHS Trusts have worked in conjunction to produce this framework to assist NHS trusts to develop and apply human rights based approaches (HRBAs) in their organisations to improve service design and delivery.
Short introduction Framework
Human Rights in Healthcare project - final evaluation report 2008 (7th October 2008)
In November 2007 Ipsos MORI was commissioned to conduct an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of human rights based approaches in the five NHS organisations participating in the Human Rights in Healthcare project. Ipsos MORI published the results of the evaluation in July 2008.
Report
Human rights in healthcare: reports from learning events (30th September 2008)
Reports from three human rights in healthcare learning events held nationally. The reports provide an overview of the learning event and highlights key learning and discussion from the event.
Liverpool Event
Birmingham Event
Southwark Event
Quality in and Equality of access to healthcare services in England (August 2008)
The purpose of this report, from the Centre for Health Economics, is to identify and analyze barriers to access to health care services which are faced by vulnerable groups in society, and especially those most exposed to social exclusion. In addition, the report reviews the policy initiatives aimed at improving access and equity of access, highlighting the features that appear to be most promising in achieving these aims. This report addresses only the specific aims of the project brief and therefore does not cover the full range of issues related to access and quality.
Click here for the Report
Who’s accountable for health? (17th June 2008)
In November 2007, Sir Simon Milton, Chairman of the Local Government Association asked Niall Dickson, Chief Executive of the King's Fund, to chair an independent cross-party Commission to investigate how to engage people in the complex decisions about local health services, and empower them to hold their local systems to account. The final report focuses on local accountability and public involvement in the planning, purchasing and delivery of health care in England. It defines accountability and differentiates it from public involvement, and it considers how these concepts operate now – and could operate in future – across the domains of health service commissioning, health care provision and public health.
Click here for the Report
