ELDERLY/OLDER PEOPLE

Gateshead - Paddle Your Own Canoe (15th March 2010)
Paddle Your Own Canoe (PYOC) was a project by Wayout in Gateshead (WinG), an organisation that specialises in conducting personal development courses through adventure education. The course aimed to improve the mental health and well-being of people over 50 years old. It was funded by Communities for Health.
Information

Care and support for older people and carers in Bradford (16th March 2010)
This study explored the needs, aspirations and expectations of older people and family carers from a range of ethnic communities in Bradford, regarding both formal paid care and help from family, friends and neighbours.

The study found that:

• Irrespective of cultural or ethnic background, older people shared expectations about caring relationships and access to services, as well as similar experiences of service delivery.
• There was a strong sense that services were run more for the convenience and budgets of service providers than for the benefit of the individual older person.
• Across all groups there was a desire for flexible, tailored services. Older people wanted more say in how and where they lived, the quality of their food, and who provided 'that bit of help' in their homes.

Report

FINANCE

Healthy Balance. A review of public health performance and spending (11th March 2010)
This briefing, from the Audit Commission, estimates that £21 billion of NHS funds has been allocated in 2009/10 on the basis of health inequalities. Despite the health of the nation improving overall, health inequalities has proved a stubborn area to address.

It highlights some of the variation in success among different localities, particularly for teenage pregnancies. Despite the sums of money allocated, it is not always clear how much has been spent on improving health inequalities and what the impact has been. It is hard to see an obvious link between spending and improvement, or get any clear view of value for money.

Briefing

Statements on Internal Control (SICs) 2009/10: disclosures guidance (published 1st February 2010 new to website 4th March 2010)
Clarification on how and where organisations should make disclosures or qualifications on their Statement on Internal Control (SIC) about risk management and review processes being in place for the full year, gaps in assurance frameworks, NHS Pension Scheme compliance and significant control issues for 2008/09.
Information

FUEL POVERTY

The Long Cold Winter: Beating fuel poverty (15th March 2010)
More and more people are being plunged into fuel poverty as energy prices rise and government programmes to tackle this major social problem fail to keep up with the scale of the challenge.

This report, from ippr, reviews the current policy landscape on fuel poverty and asks where policy should go next, if fuel poverty is to be addressed effectively in the UK.
Report

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Ready to go? Planning the discharge and transfer of patients from hospital and intermediate care (12th March 2010)
Good practice professionals guide for health and social care.
Guidance

Leading the way through social enterprise: the Social Enterprise Pathfinder Programme evaluation (4th March 2010)
In 2006, the Department of Health established the Social Enterprise Pathfinder Programme to better understand social enterprise in health and social care. The programme followed 26 social enterprises and examined what factors appear to be early indicators for success and outlined the challenges in delivering health and social care services.

This document highlights some of the key findings of the evaluation, which the Department of Health hope will be helpful for those who are currently involved in setting up a social enterprise to deliver health and social care services.
Report

HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

Progress in implementing the White Paper 'Trust, Assurance and Safety' (15th March 2010)
This document summarises the progress the Department of Health has made in implementing the White Paper 'Trust, Assurance and Safety - The Regulation of Health Professionals in the 21st Century'.
Document

Invisible Patients, Report of the Working Group on the health of health professionals (5th March 2010)
Invisible Patients specifically focuses on the health issues facing regulated health professionals and identifies some priorities for addressing them. It looks at how ill health in health professionals may affect their professional practice, the difficulties they face in seeking help and the role of the health profession regulatory bodies.
Report

HEALTH SERVICES

Older People's Experiences of Falls Prevention Services (24th February 2010)
In a new survey of over 1,000 patients from the Royal College of Physicians, three-quarters (76% - 767 of 1,028 total respondents) felt that their experience of falls prevention services had been positive.

However, among the 24% of respondents reporting a less than positive experience, the majority of issues were related to communication between patients and healthcare professionals, and many of the physical exercise programmes described in the results were not evidence-based, which limits their effectiveness.

Key findings:
At least 3 out of 4 people from the total sample group:

• Knew why they had been referred to the service (95%)
• Felt they had been seen quickly enough to help with their recovery (78%)
• Felt they received a thorough health check up (85%)
• Felt they had been involved in deciding what actions should be taken after being seen (80%)
• Were fully satisfied that good communication took place (85%)
• Found it easy or fairly easy to travel to appointments (76%)
• Were asked about their experiences of losing their balance or falling (84%)

Report

HOUSING

How can we make the housing market more stable for vulnerable households? (5th March 2010)
Two different perspectives on the kinds of reforms needed to provide long-term, secure housing for the people least able to afford it.

These Viewpoints were commissioned as part of the JRF Housing Market Taskforce programme, which aims to address the root causes of instability in the UK housing market. They are aimed at stimulating debate.

Matthew Taylor, Chief Executive of the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), argues that the UK's 'obsession with home-ownership' creates social and economic divisions and instability, and we need a more balanced approach to different kinds of tenure. Philippa Stroud, co-founder and Executive Director of the Centre for Social Justice and formerly Director of the Conservative Party's Social Justice Policy Group, believes that life tenancies and the benefits system have combined to create social immobility, worklessness and dependency, and that social housing should be the first step on the ladder to home ownership.
Document

IMMUNISATION

Pandemic H1N1 Vaccine Uptake Figures for England by SHA and PCT (18th March 2010)
The Department of Health have published preliminary data on vaccinations given up to 28 February 2010 at the SHA and PCT/Trust levels.

For each SHA and PCT, the % uptake of one dose of the swine flu vaccine, Pandemrix by people in clinical risk groups (including pregnant women) and children aged six months to under five years (Tables 1 & 2). % uptake is the (number vaccinated / number eligible to receive vaccine and registered) x 100%.

For each SHA and Trust (Tables 3 and 4):

• the number of Front Line Healthcare Workers (HCWs)
• the number of HCWs that have received one dose of the swine flu vaccine, Pandemrix
• the % uptake – (number HCWs vaccinated / number HCWs) x 100%

Information

Guidance for the 2010/11 Human papillomavirus vaccination programme (17th March 2010)
Information on the HPV vaccination programme for 2010/11.
Information

INFANT FEEDING

Report of the Independent Review Panel conducting the Independent Review of the Controls on Infant Formula and Follow-on Formula (11th March 2010)
In 2007, Dawn Primarolo, then Minister for Public Health, established a review of the effectiveness of new controls in the new Infant Formula and Follow on Formula Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/3521). These controls aimed to reduce confusion for parents between infant formula for exclusive feeding of babies during the first months of life and follow on formula for babies aged six months and over. The independent panel of experts was asked to "Assess whether the new controls on the way in which follow on formula is presented and advertised have been effective in making clear to parents/parents to be and carers that advertisements for follow on formula are meant only for babies over six months and are not perceived or confused as infant formula advertising, which is prohibited". The Minister for Public Health has published the Panel’s report and will publish her response to the report’s findings and recommendations as soon as possible.
Report

INFORMATION

The truth is out there. A discussion paper (5th March 2010)
This discussion paper looks at how the public sector can improve information made available to the public. It follows the Audit Commission's publication in November 2009, Nothing but the truth, that looked at the reliability of facts and figures used by public service providers and decision-makers such as councils and health trusts, social workers, doctors and police.

The next document in their 'Truth' series, 'The truth is out there' poses questions such as 'What information will capture the public’s imagination?' and 'How will the public know what information to trust?'
Paper

JOINT WORKING

Putting our heads together: what makes senior joint posts work? (17th March 2010)
As the downturn begins to pressurise public services and an ageing population continues to exacerbate the burden of long-term conditions, many health and social care organisations are beginning to look afresh at how working together might be a solution.

With the integration agenda rising in prominence once again, we surveyed some of the prominent figures who embody the strengths and challenges of closer joint working: senior leaders whose posts cut across the traditional boundaries between health and local government. Based on these interviews, this discussion paper looks at the factors that help and hinder success in a joint post and what local and national leaders can learn from this.
Document

Building a safe and confident future: implementing the recommendations of the Social Work Task Force (17th March 2010)
A joint implementation plan from the Department for Children, Schools and Families, the Department of Health and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in partnership with the Social Work Reform Board.
Document

LOCAL AUTHORITY/GOVERNMENT

LASSL(DH)(2010)1: Provisional Grant Allocations for the Personal Care At Home Grant for 2010/11 (12th March 2010)
The purpose of this circular is to advise local authorities of their provisional grant allocations for the Personal Care at Home grant from 1st October 2010 to 31st March 2011. This grant will be paid via Area Based Grant (ABG).
Information

Ordinary residence: guidance on the identification of the ordinary residence of people in need of community care services, England (5th March 2010)
This guidance provides information and advice to local authorities (and certain other bodies) on the identification of the ordinary residence of people in need of community care services.

The guidance anticipates the coming into force of section 148 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 which is expected to come into force on 19 April 2010. The guidance is effective from this date. Therefore, on 19 April 2010, this guidance will replace the existing ordinary residence guidance contained in LAC(93)7. From this date, LAC(93)7 will be revoked.
Guidance

Top tips on improving outcomes through better commissioning of adult social care (February 2010)
Local authorities spend about £18 billion each year on adult social care including £11.6 billion on external providers. Millions could be saved each year through more effective and collaborative commissioning, including better procurement of services.

Local authorities are under pressure to reduce expenditure on, and the cost of, adult social care. At the same time, services users and carers expect high-quality services. Members need to understand how services can be improved and how they can be delivered more efficiently.

This guide – one of a series of member guides on procurement – provides tips on how your authority can make savings through better commissioning of adult social care.
Guide

MATERNITY/MIDWIFERY

Maternity and Early Years - Making a good start to family life (16th March 2010)
The Government has today announced the launch of a strategic vision for the further transformation of maternity services and early years services. “Maternity and Early Years - Making a Good Start to Family Life”

The document has been developed jointly by the Department of Health, The Department for Children, Schools and Families and the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, drawing on the views of mothers and fathers, children’s centre staff, local health practitioners and children.
Document

MENTAL HEALTH

Paths to Personalisation - A whole system, whole life framework (16th March 2010)
Published today by the National Mental Health Development Unit (NMHDU) Personalisation in Mental Health Programme, this guide has been produced to help all those involved understand how things will need to be done differently to make personalisation a reality for people with mental health needs. This is a whole system guide, so hopefully it will give some information, guidance and signposts for people, whoever and wherever they are. The guide provides information about what personalisation means for mental health services and supports, offers examples of what needs to be in place to make things work, and provides pointers to good practice and sources of advice and information.
Guide

3 Briefing papers published by PSA16 programme (15th March 2010)
The Public Service Agreement 16 programme have published the following 3 briefing papers:
Improving housing and employment opportunities for people with mental health problems
Employment and Mental Health
Work recovery and inclusion: employment support for people in contact with secondary mental health services
Documents

Life Story Network (7th March 2010)
The National Life Story Network was launched at a conference in Leeds on 12th February. The network provides a national forum (www.lifestorynetwork.org.uk) to support the use of Life Story work among people with mental illness including dementia.

Life Story is a growing area of interest in policy and practice relating to the care of people. The Network has been promoted and supported by an independent steering group, with representation from a range of national and regional partners, including the Dignity in Care (DH) campaign, the National Dementia Strategy, Mental Health Foundation and the National Mental Health Development Unit.
Information

Blurring the Boundaries. The convergence of mental health and criminal justice policy, legislation, systems and practice (16th March 2010)
This report, from the Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health demonstrates that a convergence is taking place between mental health and criminal justice legislation, policy, systems and practice. The report summarises both the benefits and the risks of convergence. It is intended to inform policy-makers and practitioners about where convergence can be useful and where caution is required.
Report

NHS

General Election - Guidance (11th March 2010)
Two letters have been produced to provide chief executives with information on handling the General Election period, once it starts. It includes links to previous guidance and advice.
Letter for Arms Length Bodies
Letter for NHS Trust AND PCT

The handbook to the NHS Constitution for England (8th March 2010)
This Handbook is designed to give NHS staff and patients all the information they need about the NHS Constitution for England. It outlines the roles we all have to play in protecting and developing the NHS and will help you understand our rights, pledges, values and responsibilities.
Document

Getting the most out of PROMs. Putting health outcomes at the heart of NHS decision-making (11th March 2010)
More than 100 years ago Florence Nightingale suggested a health-related outcome measure for her patients: relieved, unrelieved and dead. Despite the developments in medical technology since then, attempts to measure the positive outcomes of health care have been slow in coming. An important step forward was made in 2009 when the English NHS began collecting patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) for four elective procedures.

The aim of this report, from the Kings Fund, is to provoke and encourage thinking about the wide range of ways in which PROMs data can be used to inform decisions. It draws on Bupa’s example to discuss how providers can use PROMs data to improve clinical performance. It also offers practical advice for commissioners in using PROMs data to assess value for money and decide how to purchase health care systems.
Report

Rising to the challenge: health priorities for government and the NHS (11th March 2010)
The document sets out what the NHS Confederation see as the major priorities facing the NHS, what they think NHS leaders can do now to help develop the system and enhance patient care, and what a new government will need to do post-election to facilitate this and create the necessary conditions for progress.
Document

The NHS Constitution for England (8th March 2010)
This Constitution establishes the principles and values of the NHS in England. It sets out rights to which patients, public and staff are entitled, and pledges which the NHS is committed to achieve, together with responsibilities which the public, patients and staff owe to one another to ensure that the NHS operates fairly and effectively. All NHS bodies and private and third sector providers supplying NHS services are required by law to take account of this Constitution in their decisions and actions.
Document

Guidance on the attribution of NHS non-commercial Research costs, Support costs and treatment costs (ReSeT Guidance) (15th March 2010)
This document clarifies the distinction between the three categories of costs associated with non-commercial research studies: Research Costs, NHS Support Costs and Treatment Costs. It is supported by two annexes – Annex A provides an exemplar set of common activities that have been attributed to the three specific cost categories and Annex B provides a list of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). The first section of the FAQs relates to FAQs that are generic across the United Kingdom and the second section to country specific questions. These Annexes will be updated on a regular basis and users need to ensure that they have the latest version (please refer to individual Health Department websites for their country specific FAQs).
Document

NHS TRUSTS

A&E Serious Youth Violence Data Sharing Initiative (16th March 2010)
This area of the Department of Health website is dedicated to the above initiative.

The aim of the initiative is to support and encourage A&E Departments to work with police and other local agencies to understand more about serious youth violence in their community. This initiative has been developed building on the work achieved through the Home Office Tackling Knives and Serious Youth Violence Action Programme (TKAP). This covers targeted police action to tackle a minority of young people from 13-24 years old who commit serious violence, regardless of the weapon involved.

On these pages you will find resources to help develop local data sharing initiatives; evidence and case studies of the impact; and networking opportunities with others doing similar work.
Information

NICE

Consultation Documents (5th March 2010-18th March 2010)
NICE are now consulting on the following:

Barrett's oesophagus - ablative therapy: draft guideline consultation - closing date 7th April 2010

Nocturnal enuresis in children (bedwetting): guideline consultation - closing date 6th May 2010

Hypertension (update): scoping workshop, consultation and final scope - closing date 8th April 2010

Social and emotional wellbeing - vulnerable children at home: consultation on the draft scope - closing date 13th April 2010

Social and emotional wellbeing: early education and daycare: consultation on the draft scope - closing date 13th April 2010

Spasticity in Children: draft scope consultation - closing date 9th April 2010

Psoriatic arthritis - etanercept, infliximab & adalimumab (review): appraisal consultation document - closing date 8th April 2010

QOF Indicators in development - closing date 11th April 2010

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding: scope consultation - closing date 16th April 2010

Growth failure (in children) - human growth hormone (HGH) (review): final appraisal determination - closing date 1st April 2010

Latest Implementation Tools (11th March 2010)
Tools to aid implementation of latest guidance:

CG93 Donor Breast Milk Banks: audit support, costing tool and slide set

TA186 Rheumatoid arthritis - certolizumab pegol: audit support and costing tool

TA185 Soft tissue sarcoma - trabectedin: audit support and costing tool

PH23 School-based interventions to prevent smoking: slide set and costing tool

IPG331 Cytoreduction surgery followed by hyperthermic intraoperative peritoneal chemotherapy for peritoneal carcinomatosis (replacing of IPG116): audit support

IPG332 Surgical correction of hallux valgus using minimal access: audit support

Therapeutic endoscopic division of epidural adhesions (review of IPG88): audit support

PARLIAMENTARY PUBLICATIONS

Health Committee - Social Care - Third Report of Session 2009-10 (12th March 2010)
Vol I
Vol II

Joint Committee of Human Rights - Equality and Human Rights Commission - Thirteenth Report of Session 2009-10 (15th March 2010)

Joint Committee on Human Rights - Any of our business? Human Rights and the UK private sector: Government and Response to the Committee's First Report of Session 2008-09 - Eleventh Report of Session 2009-10 (8th March 2010)

Committee of Public Accounts - Equality and Human Rights Commission - Fifteenth Report of Session 2009-10 (4th March 2010)

Committee of Public Accounts - Improving Dementia Services in England - an Interim Report - Nineteenth Report of Session 2009-10 (16th March 2010)

Committee of Public Accounts - The Decent Homes Programme - Twenty-first Report of Session 2009-10 (18th March 2010)

PRIMARY CARE

Primary Care and Emergency Departments: report from the Primary Care Foundation (8th March 2010)
In May 2009 the Department of Health commissioned the Primary Care Foundation to study the impact of using primary care within or alongside Accident and Emergency. The report highlights that use of primary care clinicians in Accident and Emergency departments can benefit patients where services are integrated and clinicians work together.

The findings of this report are being developed into a guide for commissioners on use of primary care clinicians with Accident and Emergency departments and this guide will be available soon.

This report will be of interest to NHS chief executives and their commissioning colleagues.
Report

PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS

Cancer Awareness and Early Diagnosis Programme funding (8th March 2010)
Letter announcing funding for 2010/11 to develop or build on existing services/interventions that aim to promote early diagnosis of cancer, and inviting proposals from primary care trusts by 28 April 2010.
Information

NHS Pharmaceutical Services - Transfer of the Global Sum to PCT Allocations (10th March 2010)
The attached letter draws attention to important considerations in managing funding for NHS services provided by community pharmacies and appliance contractors, following devolvement of the centrally held funding to PCTs from 1 April 2010.
Information

New value for money (VfM) profiles launched (17th March 2010)
The Audit Commission has launched new value for money (VfM) profiles for PCTs, fire and rescue authorities, police authorities and councils. These are more user-friendly, have a clearer focus on VfM, track levels of spend to assess the impact of improvements, and compare spend and performance to other bodies.
Information