ABOUT THIS BLOG

This bulletin highlights recently produced documents that have appeared on websites. The aim is to trawl the web and produce a fortnightly review of what is found (coverage may not be comprehensive). If you have any comments or suggestions regarding this Bulletin, please send an email to library.pct@sthk.nhs.uk. All links are correct at time of publishing. Some documents are large and may take time to open so please be patient when waiting for links to open. If a link is incorrect please email me and I will correct the link and send you the document.

For those that are receiving this through an email or through a third party you can view the original Bulletin at http://www.newdocumentsbulletin.blogspot.com/ and also sign up to receive the Bulletin by RSS.

ALCOHOL

Supermarket Scandal: Super-cheap Alcohol sales in the North West (22nd October 2009)
The findings of a mystery shopper survey, conducted by Our Life, show that cheap supermarket alcohol deals are contributing to the increase in alcohol related harm in the North West.
Press Release
Report

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)

CARE/CARERS

Report of the Standing Commission on Carers 2007 to 2009 (20th October 2009)
The Standing Commission on Carers has published its first annual report, Carers at the heart of 21st century families and communities – work in progress. The report concludes the first stage of the Commission’s work (2007 to 2009) and highlights progress made against the main themes of the national Carers Strategy. It sets out future challenges and opportunities, and contains a number of recommendations and suggestions for the Government, delivery partners and the next phase of the Commission.
Report

Training care home staff to use Talking Mats with people who have dementia (27th October 2009)
It can be difficult for carers and people with dementia to communicate. In recognition of this, the Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) funded the development and delivery of a project in 2008/2009 that would train care home staff across the UK to use Talking Mats. This system, complete with a textured mat and visual symbols, helps people with communications difficulties to interact.

This paper highlights key findings from the project, including:

• Confident staff who had management support were more likely to do well in training and implement new practice
• Training of this kind is more effective when delivered to a group of staff in one care home
• Talking Mats can benefit people at all stages of dementia, but it is still especially difficult to interact with residents in the later stages of the disease

Summary

Charging for residential care: the property disregard and partners under 60 (27th October 2009)
Letter seeking views on the proposal to amend the 1992 regulations to reflect the longstanding policy and practice of disregarding property where a partner aged under 60 continues to reside in the family home.
Letter and draft regulations

CARE QUALITY COMMISSION

Guidance on qualified first aiders (26th October 2009)
The national minimum standards require first aiders to be available at all times in care homes. But instead the Care Quality Commission allow care homes to be flexible by tailoring the aid to the needs of the people who use the service. A risk assessment which includes:

• the needs of people who use your service
• how likely, it is that first aid will be needed
• what kind of first aid will be required

should be carried out. If a risk assessment is not performed, then first aid must be provided at all times from staff with suitable first aid qualifications.
Guidance

NHS Performance ratings 2008/09 (15th October 2009)
The Care Quality Commission have published the performance ratings, also known as the 'annual health check' for all 392 NHS trusts in England.

Although there have been big improvements for patients, there are concerns that 20 trusts have rated weak on quality and some trusts have rated fair over a number of years without improving.
Press Release
Ratings

Managing patients' medicines after discharge from hospital (27th October 2009)
The Care Quality Commission has published findings from its visits to 12 Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and the survey results of 280 GP practices on how well patients' medication is managed after leaving hospital.

Although there is some evidence of good practice, the following concerns were raised:

• Information shared about patients moving between GPs and hospitals is often patchy, incomplete and not shared quickly enough
• GP patient records are not always updated by clinical staff
• Too few patients are offered discussions with their GP about managing their medication
• GPs are not consistently reporting medication incidents and errors, and PCTs are not always monitoring them

Press Release
Report, self-assessment tool and study reports

CHILDREN/YOUNG PEOPLE

Fabricated or Induced Illness by Carers (FII): A Practical Guide for Paediatricians (October 2009)
This 2nd edition of the 2002 document has been written by a group of experienced doctors from adult and child psychiatry, the Department of Health and lay representatives. The document has been produced by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health for paediatricians, however it will useful to health professional from many backgrounds.
Document

Associations between childhood bereavement and children's background, experiences and outcomes (26th October 2009)
This report, from the National Children's Bureau (NCB), conducted on behalf of the Childhood Bereavement Network (CBN) has found that children bereaved of a parent, sibling or close friend are more likely than other children to have experienced a range of difficult events in their lives.
Press Release
Full Report
Summary

Healthy Child Programme: the two year review (27th October 2009)
The two year review aims to optimise child development and emotional wellbeing, and to reduce inequalities.. It provides practitioners, particularly health visitors, with information and tools to use with parents.
Review

Healthy Child Programme: pregnancy and the first five years of life (27th October 2009)
The Healthy Child Programme for the early life stages focuses on a universal preventative service, providing families with a programme of screening, immunisation, health and development reviews, supplemented by advice around health, wellbeing and parenting.

This document supersedes the Updated Child Health Promotion Programme which was published March 2008.
Guidance

Healthy Child Programme from 5 to 19 years old (27th October 2009)
The Healthy Child Programme (HCP) from 5 to 19 year olds sets out the recommended framework of universal and progressive services for children and young people to promote optimal health and wellbeing. It outlines suggested roles and responsibilities for commissioners, health, education, local authority and other partners to encourage the development of high-quality services. As the Operating framework for the NHS in England 2009/10 sets out, PCTs will want to review the transparency of their service offer in line with Healthy lives, brighter futures and local priorities, and this may include the HCP.
Guidance

CHILDREN'S SERVICES

Children's trusts: A briefing paper on improving financial management (23rd October 2009)
Jointly produced by the Audit Commission and CIPFA, 'Children's trusts' provides practical guidance on improving financial management in children's trusts. The document supports the Audit Commissions national report 'Are we there yet?', presenting the findings of research into the progress local councils and their partners are making in developing children's trusts.
Paper

COMMISSIONING

World class commissioning - an introduction (15th October 2009)
World class commissioning is about delivering better health and wellbeing for the population, improving health outcomes and reducing health inequalities. In partnership with local government, practice based commissioners and others, Primary Care Trusts (PCTs),supported by Strategic Health Authorities (SHAs), will lead the NHS in turning the world class commissioning vision into a reality, adding life to years and years to life.

This guide provides a brief introduction to world class commissioning.
Guide

World class commissioning: October update (14th October 2009)
Monthly progress report on the world class commissioning programme.
Update

British Dental Association's Independent Local Commissioning Working Group Report (13th October 2009)
This report, commissioned by the British Dental Association (BDA) in response to the varied experience throughout the country, looked at planning priorities, current use of creative commissioning and future commissioning plans.
Report

COMMUNITIES

Communities for Health: unlocking the energy within communities to improve health (21st October 2009)
The Communities for Health Programme exemplifies the increasing role local government plays in supporting health improvement and reducing health inequalities. This second report includes community activities in over 80 local authorities aimed at encouraging behaviour change and strengthening local partnership to tackle a wide range of key health priorities.
Document

Building Cohesive Communities: What frontline staff and community activists need to know (14th October 2009)
This is a short practical guide for busy activists and frontline staff working on community cohesion. The guide is based on current research and practical experience of the authors. Topics included are:

• Promoting interaction between people and groups
• Developing effective community leadership
• Tackling local attitudes, perception and myths
• Developing the role of young people

Guide

CONSULTATION RESPONSES

The Health Professions (Hearing Aid Dispensers) Order 2009: consultation report, September 2009 (22nd October 2009)
The Health Professions (Hearing Aid Dispensers) Order 2009 was published in draft for consultation between 7 April and 7 July 2009. To view a copy of the final version of the draft order following the consultation process, which has now been laid before Parliament but is subject to debate in both Houses, please visit www.opsi.gov.uk. These documents provide information on the outcome of that consultation.
Consultation Responses

CONSULTATIONS

Direct payment for health care: a consultation on proposals for regulations and guidance (23rd October 2009)
This consultation seeks views on the Government's proposals for piloting direct payments for health care. This is part of the wider pilot programme to explore personal health budgets announced in High Quality Care For All.

Closing date for comments is 8th January 2010.
Consultation

General Pharmaceutical Council (Constitution) Order 2009: a paper for consultation (27th October 2009)
The draft General Pharmaceutical Council (Constitution) Order sets out the proposed constitution of the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC), the new regulator for pharmacy professionals and pharmacy premises in England, Wales and Scotland. The GPhC will be established on the making of the Pharmacy Order 2009 by the Privy Council.

Closing date for comments is 25th November 2009.
Consultation

DENTAL

The Oral Health Atlas (September 2009)
This book, available online, was released by the FDI World Dental Federation to mark the annual World Oral Health Day which took place on 12th September 2009. It illustrates oral health globally,highlights oral health as a neglected area of health for individuals and health systems and suggests realistic individual and population-wide solutions.
Book

DIET/NUTRITION

Healthier Food Mark: Promoting healthier, more sustainable food - draft criteria to be tested during Phase 1 of the pre-consultation pilot (14th October 2009)
This scheme concerns the establishment of a voluntary Healthier Food Mark in the public sector so that public sector food reaches a standard to make a positive contribution to a nutritionally balanced diet and improves the sustainability of public sector food procurement

The first draft of the criteria was presented to stakeholders at the event on 30 April 2009. Further to feedback from that event and more detailed discussions with the food industry, public sector organisations and other stakeholders, a revised proposed and potential list of criteria has been developed for testing during Phase 1 of the pre-consultation pilot.
Document

Snack Right. Using social marketing to achieve healthier food choices in the under fives (27th October 2009)
In response to social marketing references in the White Paper Choosing Health: Making healthy choices easier, Cheshire and Merseyside's directors of public health established a social marketing group with the objectives of:

• Testing social marketing by delivering a project around food that addressed growing concerns about obesity;
• Developing capacity and capability in social marketing in Cheshire and Merseyside

This report looks at the project of Snack Right that arose from this.
Final Report

DRUGS

Shooting Up: Infections among injecting drug users in the United Kingdom 2008. An update: 2009 (23rd October 2009)
This report presents available data on the extent and trends over time of infections among injecting drug users (IDUs) in the UK up to the end of 2008. It includes data on the more severe bacterial infections affecting IDUs, on available markers of HIV and viral hepatitis prevalence and incidence, and on associated risk and protective behaviours.
Report

ELDERLY/OLDER PEOPLE

Creating a stronger information, advice and advocacy system for older people (19th October 2009)
The adult social care system needs to ensure older people get the information, advice and advocacy services they need to remain independent.

This Solutions paper highlights recent work in Newcastle by the Quality of Life Partnership that's developed ways of working with existing systems to make them more 'older person friendly', efficient, and effective for all concerned. Lessons learnt include:

• Invest in processes so that older people have a variety of ways of sharing their views and experiences.
• Persuade local partners that information and advice is not an add-on to the day job. It is the day job.
• Understand that partnership working is much more difficult, complex and time-consuming than working in isolation.
• Realise that some issues may need to be addressed across all age groups.

Summary

Ageing and Well-being in an International Context (16th October 2009)
This report opens up the policy debates surrounding population ageing beyond the traditional realm of healthcare and pensions. It explores how the well-being of older people can be incorporated into four other areas: relationships, work, learning and the built environment. These were all identified in the first phase of the Institute for Public Policy Research's (ippr’s) Politics of Ageing project as important drivers of well-being.

This paper provides examples of policies and programmes that have been successful in other countries. The aim is that these case studies will inspire new responses to ageing in the UK.
Report

Policies for Peace of Mind? Devolution and older age in the UK (12th October 2009)
This paper considers the changing landscape of policy and practice for older people since 2000 and how this varies across the four countries of the United Kingdom. The authors reflect on UK Government reforms over this period as well as the early choices made by the devolved administrations, which have varying powers.
Report

EMERGENCY CARE

Emergency Services Review (21st October 2009)
The Emergency Services Review was commissioned by the strategic health authorities and has completed its work to undertake a review of recent performance and support the identification and adoption of best practice. The Emergency Care Intensive Support Team, established by the review, is now supporting the implementation of this guidance, hosting events and supporting organisations to deliver the outcomes outlined in the documents. The aim of this work has been to ensure that local health economies continue to provide resilient, sustainable and integrated emergency and urgent care arrangements. The ESR Team have issued a series of supporting best practice documentation, guides and toolkits.
Documents

EQUALITY

Age Equality in Health and Social Care (22nd October 2009)
In April 2009, the then Secretary of State for Health asked Sir Ian Carruthers OBE, Chief Executive of NHS South West, and Jan Ormondroyd, Chief Executive of Bristol City Council, to undertake a review of age discrimination and age equality in the health and social care sector.

This is the report of that review. The Government intends to publish and consult on its response to the review’s recommendations in December of this year. This will take place in parallel with consultation on a resource pack designed to support implementation.
Report

Trans research review. Research Report 27 (21st October 2009)
The Equality and Human Rights Commission has today launched a new review of evidence that captures the experiences and challenges facing transgender people in Britain.

The Trans Research Review highlights that some transgender people experience transphobia including bullying and discriminatory treatment in schools, harassment and physical/sexual assault and rejection from families, work colleagues and friends.
Report

Equality impact assessment: summary tool and guidance for policy makers (published 18th November 2008 updated 27th October 2009)
Equality impact assessment (EqIA) is the process by which the DH seeks to meet its legal requirements in conjunction with the DH Single Equality Scheme (SES) and to narrow the health inequalities that exist in England between people from different ethnic backgrounds, people with disabilities, men and women (including transgendered people), people with different sexual orientations, people in different age groups, people with different religions or beliefs and people from differing social and economic groups.
Summary tool

GUIDANCE/GUIDELINES

Getting it right for children and families (14th October 2009)
This guide is for health visitors and their teams, provider managers, commissioners and educationalists. It sets out the contribution that health visitors and teams can make to health and wellbeing and public health.
Guidance

A Resource for Developing Sexual Assault Referral Centres (27th October 2009)
Published jointly by the Department of Health, Home Office and the Association of Chief Police Officers this guide replaces the National Services Guidelines for Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and Getting Started.

It highlights the minimum elements essential for providing high-quality SARCs for victims of sexual violence and sexual abuse, including forensic medical examination
Guidance

LEARNING DISABILITIES

Good Learning Disability Partnership Boards: Making it happen for everyone (21st October 2009)
In Valuing People Now (2009) the Department of Health undertook to publish a range of guidance for Learning Disability Partnership Boards to assist them in delivering on the goals set out in the strategy. The good practice guidance, ‘Good Learning Disability Partnership Boards: ‘Making it happen for everyone’ was launched at the NCAS (National Children and Adult Services) conference on 21 October.

This guide gives best practice examples from around the country and is based on the evidence that the most effective Partnership Boards are those:

• with strong links to other local boards and work programmes;
• where there is delegated or shared financial and commissioning responsibility; and
• where there is meaningful representation of people with learning disabilities and family carers from all local communities

Guidance

LOCAL AUTHORITY/GOVERNMENT

A summary of changes to direct payments (19th October 2009)
From 9 November 2009 there will be important changes to the Direct Payments scheme. New regulations will extend the scheme to people who lack the capacity to consent, and to people with mental health problems who are subject to mental health and certain criminal justice legislation. Guidance for councils on direct payments has been updated to reflect these changes. This leaflet sets out these changes and explains where you can find more information.
Leaflet

Use of resources in adult social care: a guide for local authorities (15th October 2009)
This guide is to stimulate discussion and debate for local authorities on how to commission and shape services for tomorrow by making best use of resources. We encourage every local authority to learn from each other about how to take this innovation forward and spread best practice around the country.
Guide