8 April 2009

ABOUT THIS BULLETIN

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.

BULLETINS/NEWSLETTERS


CARE QUALITY COMMISSION

Care Quality Commission (1st April 2009)
This is the website of the new independent regulator of health and social care in England. The Care Quality Commission replaced:
  • The Healthcare Commission
  • Commission for Social Care Inspection
  • Mental Health Act Commission
Website

Care Quality Commission Enforcement Policy (30th March 2009)
The Care Quality Commission (CQC)will have a wider range of powers than its predecessors to help it become a tough but fair regulator. As well as issueing warning notices and penalty notices, it is also able to suspend or cancel the registration of organisations who do not meet the essential standards of quality.
Policy

COMMISSIONING

Services for adults with autistic spectrum conditions (ASC): good practice advice for primary care trust and local authority commissioners (3rd April 2009)
This good practice guidance, for Primary Care Trusts and Local Authority Commissioners, is part of a programme of work to ensure that people with autistic spectrum conditions receive the right support to to live life independently.
Guidance

World class commissioning: Improving Pharmaceutical Services (2nd April 2009)
This practical guide is to support PCTs in commissioning pharmaceutical services.
Guide

You're Welcome quality criteria: Making health services young people friendly (2nd April 2007)
This quality criteria sets out principles that will help health services (including non-NHS provision) become young people friendly. it covers arreas to be considered by commissioners and providers of health services. Content is based on examples of effective local practice and this second edition includes a new section covering Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services.
Document


You're Welcome quality criteria self-assessment toolkit (6th April 2009)

This toolkit has been designed to enable service providers and commissioners to see what to do to be "young people friendly" and more appropriate to the needs of young people as detailed in the quality criteria. The toolkit will help services rate their level of achievement in relation to the You're Welcome quality criteria and action plan for reviewing, maintaining or improving the level of services.
Toolkit

CONSULTATION RESPONSES

Private and voluntary healthcare: Care Standards Act 2000: Regulations and National Minimum Standards - consultation response (30th March 2009)
This is the response to the consultation that the Department of Health held from 18th March 2008 to 10th June 2008 to ensure that the private and voluntary healthcare sector is regulated effectively during the run-up to wider changes to the regulatory framework.
Consultation Response

Framework of competencies for recognising and responding to acutely ill patients in hospital: consultation report (25th March 2009)
This is a summary of responses to the consultation, Framework of Competencies for recognising and responding to acutely ill patients in hospital that was held from 25th March 2008 to 17th June 2008.
Consultation Response

Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliances - and related services in primary care (June 2008): consultation response (31st March 2009)
The consultation, Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliances - and related services - in primary care was held from 9th June 2008 to 9th September 2008. The summary of responses to the consultation are now available along with an overview of the new arrangements.
Consultation responses

CONSULTATIONS

Response to consultation on the framework for the registration of health and adult social care providers and consultation on draft regulations (30th March 2009)
This document serves two main purposes:
  • it provides the Government's response to the consultation the Department of Health held during spring 2008: The future regulation of health and adult social care in England: a consultation on the framework for the regulation of health and adult social care, on the new registration framework to be introduced from 2010; and
  • it launches a consultation on the wording of the draft Regulations on the scope of registration and the registration requirements that we are planning to set before Parliament this year under the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Closing date for comments is 29th May 2009.
Consultation

The regulation of private hearing aid dispensers by the Health Professions Council: a paper for consultation (7th April 2009)
This draft order sets out a proposal to abolish the Hearing Aid Council and transfer its register of hearing aid dispensers to the Health Professions Council Closing date for comments is 7th July 2009.
Consultation

End of life treatment and care: good practice in decision-making. A draft for consultation (27th March 2009)
This consultation, launched by the General Medical Council (GMC), is intended for doctors but may also help patients and the public, and other health and social care staff, to understand what they can expect from doctors involved in caring for patients who are dying. Closing date for comments is 13th July 2009.
Consultation

DENTAL

General Dental Services Statement of Financial Entitlements and Personal Dental Services Statement of Financial Entitlements 2009 (1st April 2009)
News GDS and PDS Statements of Financial Entitlements including uplift to 2009-2010 prices, have now been published and will supersede the current versions with effect from 1st April 2009.
Documents

DISEASES AND DISORDERS

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

DRUGS

A report on Global illicit Drug Markets 1998-2007 (March 2009)
The findings in this report, from the European Commission, are that the worlds drugs problem are more or less the same as they were in 1998. The study found that there is no evidence that the global drug problem has been reduced during this 10 year period and although it may have improved a little in some of the wealthier countries, for some of those in the developing countries it has substantially worsened.
Report


Psychosocial Interventions for Drug Misuse. A framework and toolkit for implementing NICE recommended treatment interventions (March 2009)
This document, produced by The British Psychological Society and commissioned by the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA), is to provide support for drug treatment commissioners and providers who wish to develop or introduce evidence-based psychosocial interventions for those with drug misuse problems.
Document

ELDERLY/OLDER PEOPLE

Scoping review of the research and evidence base relating to advocacy services and older people's entry into care homes in England (31st March 2009)
The purpose of this review is to scope the literature on advocacy in relation to the decision to enter a care home on a long-term or permanent basis. The review seeks to inform planned work on the development of independent advocacy services being considered as part of the Independent Living Review by the Office for Disability Issues.
Report

FINANCE

The Statement of Financial Entitlements (Amendment) (No 3) Directions 2009 (3rd April 2009)
These directions are the first in a series of three changes to be made to the Statement of Financial Entitlements published in April 2005 and are effective from 1st April 2009.
Directions

Guidance on managing variations to PFI schemes (25th March 2009)
The Department of Health have published two guidance notes on managing variations to PFI schemes. The first is concerned primarily with the business case process, the second complements this with the technical and practical issues.
Guidance

GENERAL PRACTICE

RCGP Guide to the Revalidation of General Practitioners (1st April 2009)
This guide from the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) sets out for the first time the RCGPs current proposals for the processes and evidence that will be required in order for GPs to be revalidated.
Guide

HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE

Only Connect. Policy options for integrating health and social care (April 2009)
This briefing paper, from Chris Ham for The Nuffield Trust, summarises the discussions that took place at seminars held by the Nuffield Trust to explore the issues involved in achieving closer integration of health and social care.
Briefing Paper

HEALTH CHECKS

NHS Health Check resources for NHS staff (3rd April 2009)
The Department of Health has made available an invitation letter template available to download for staff to send out when inviting the public for a Health Check. Also available is a leaflet giving information about the Health Checks.
Information

HEALTHCARE COMMISSION

Listening,learning, working together? A national study of how well healthcare organisations engage local people in planning and improving their services (26th March 2009)
According to this report from the Healthcare Commission, NHS trusts are increasing their efforts to listen to patients and the public, but now must go the next step to ensure these views are used to bring about change and improvement.
Report

Briefing
Practice Briefing
Easy Read Version

Tackling the Challenge. Promoting race equality in the NHS in England (30th March 2009)
This report looks at the extent to which the NHS in England is meeting the legal basic building blocks in promoting race equality.
Report

Adult specialist community mental health services. Report of the follow-up to the 2005/06 review (30th March 2009)
This is the report of the Healthcare Commission's follow-up review. The findings show that although progress made by many of the trusts is encouraging, they only show modest improvements in a number os aspects of the services. The recommendations are that all mental health providers look at their performance in this follow-up review and to work on the areas where either performance has deteriorated or shows the need for greater improvement.
Review


Equality in later life. A national study of older people's mental health services (31st March 2009)
This study focused on four themes:
  • Age discrimination
  • Quality of inpatient care
  • How comprehensive are services?
  • Working with other organisations
Although this study shows evidence of some good practice, it also shows that mental health services for the over 65's are in need of urgent attention.
Study

Care Quality Commission (1st April 2009)
This is the website of the new independent regulator of health and social care in England. The Care Quality Commission replaced:
  • The Healthcare Commission
  • Commission for Social Care Inspection
  • Mental Health Act Commission
Website

HIV/AIDS

New HIV Diagnoses (27th March 2009)
According to the latest figures from the Health Protection Agency, an estimated 7,370 new HIV diagnoses were made in the UK in 2008 with 38% of all new diagnoses probably acquired through sex between men.
Information

IMMUNISATION

Vaccination Programme Directions 2009 (1st April 2009)
These directions relate to the new right, established in the NHS Constitution, to receive vaccinations recommended by the Joint Committee on vaccination and Immunisation under an NHS provided national immunisation programme.
Directions

PL CMO (2009)1, PL CNO (2009)1, PL CPHO (2009)1: the influenza immunisation programme 2009/10 (6th April 2009)
This 16 page letter from the Chief Medical Office, the Chief Nursing Officer and the Chief Pharmaceutical Officer contains details of the annual influenza immunisation campaign and the poultry worker immunisation programme.
Letter

INFANT FEEDING

EVENT - Breastfeeding in the community (30th March 2009)
These are the presentations from the Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health Network (ChaMPs) event that was held on 30th March 2009 at the Stobart Stadium, Widnes.
Programme
Paula Simpson - Unicef Community babyfriendly
Kate McFadden - Peer Support Training
John Shepherd - Social Marketing Research

LOCAL AUTHORITY/GOVERNMENT

Charging for residential care: 2009 uprating of certain disregards and allowances, and other changes (6th April 2009)
Changes to the residential regulations came into force from 6th April 2009. S.I. 2009/597 uprates certain items in accordance with established formulae and the upratings are:
  • Personal Expenses Allowance increased from £21.15 to £21.90
  • Lower capital limit increased from £13,500 to £14,000
  • Upper capital limit increased from £22,250 to £23,000
  • Single person's savings disregard increased from £5.34 to £5.65
  • Couple's savings disregard increased from £8.15 to £8.45
Guidance

LAC (DH)(2009)3: Charges for Residential Accommodation - CRAG Amendment No 28 (6th April 2009)
This circular announces the main changes to the residential charging arrangements and provides clarification of certain policies, in particular with regard self-funding care home residents entitlement to the 12 week property disregard and the responsibility of local authorities to offer deferred payments to qualifying residents.
Circular

LONG-TERM CONDITIONS

Your health, your way - a guide to long term conditions and self care (7th April 2009)
This booklet introduces the concept of personalised care planning for people with long-term conditions and supported self care with points for consideration when starting the care planning process. It also gives a brief overview of Your health, your way for healthcare professionals.
Booklet

MATERNITY/MIDWIFERY

Protection of pregnant patients during diagnostic medical exposures to ionising radiation RCE9 (31st March 2009)
This guidance, published by the Health Protection Agency, The Royal College of Radiologists and the College of Radiographers, recommends that pregnant women should not be given ionising radiation examinations in which the foetus receives a dose of more than a few milligrays as there is a small increased risk of causing childhood cancer. If examinations are clinically justified then although there is still the small risk of childhood cancer a termination of pregnancy would not be necessary.
Guidance

MENTAL HEALTH

Arrangements under paragraph 183(4) of Schedule A1 to the Mental Capacity Act 005 between the Secretary of State and the Welsh Ministers (1st April 2009)
These arrangements set out, that where questions about a person's ordinary residence arise in relations to which local authority should act as the supervisory body, the Secretary of State will determine cross-border ordinary residence disputes between England and Wales where the person to whom the dispute relates is accommodated in a care home in England.
Guidance

The Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards and you (31st March 2009)
Hospitals, care homes, local authorities and Primary Care Trusts have a statutory duty under Mental Capacity Act Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (MCA DOLS) legislation to make sure that the person made subject to the authorisation and assessment process is supported to understand what is happening to them. This information, from the Department of Health, is for the relevant person and should be distributed at the provider's discretion.
Documents

A Missed Opportunity? (26th March 2009)
This report, by Sainsbury Centre for Mental Health, shows that few people are given a Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) by the courts because it is poorly understood and is prone to long delays. The MHTR is one of 12 possible requirements for all people given a community sentence in England and Wales, although it is rarely used in practice.
Report

NHS

Healthcare travel costs scheme: instructions and guidance for the NHS (1st April 2009)
From 1st April 2009, provider trusts will no longer be reimbursed for Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) costs through the Payment by Results (PbR) tariff. HTCS expenditure should be recharged to the Primary Care Trust where the patient is ordinarily resident.
Guidance

Health Technical Memoranda Firecode 05-03 (1st April 2009)
Firecode conists of a number of Health Technical Memoranda (HTM) which consider policy, technical guidance and specialist aspects of fire precautions. Previously issued Fire Practice Notes (FPN) have been superseded and subsumed into HTMs.
HTM 05-03: Part A - Executive Summary of General Fire Safety
HTM 05-03: Part D 2nd Edition - Executive Summary of Commercial Enterprise on Healthcare Premises
HTM 05-03: Part F - Executive Summary of Arson Prevention in NHS Premises
HTM 05-03: Part K - Executive Summary of Fire Risk Assessments in Complex Healthcare Premises
Previous HTMs

NICE

Leukaemia (chronic lymphocytic, first line) - rituximab: appraisal consultation (26th March 2009)
The Department of Health asked the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE or the Institute) to conduct a single technology appraisal (STA) of rituximab for the first-line treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukaemia and provide guidance on its use to the NHS in England and Wales. The Appraisal Committee has had its first meeting to consider both the evidence submitted by the manufacturer and the views put forward by non-manufacturer consultees and commentators, and by the clinical specialist and patient expert representatives nominated for this appraisal by non-manufacturer consultees and commentators. The Committee has developed preliminary recommendations on the use of rituximab. Closing date for comments is 20th April 2009.
Consultation


Hip fracture: draft scope consultation (1st April 2009)
NICE have been asked to develop a clinical practice guideline on the management of femoral neck fractures for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The draft scope defines what aspects of care the guideline will cover and to whom it will apply. Closing date for comments is 29th April 2009.
Consultation


Stable angina: draft scope consultation (2nd April 2009)
NICE have been asked to develop a clinical practice guideline on the stable angina for use in the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The draft scope defines what aspects of care the guideline will cover and to whom it will apply. Closing date for comments is 30th April 2009.
Consultation


Weight management following childbirth: draft scope consultation (6th April 2009)
NICE is developing public health intervention guidance for weight management following childbirth. Closing date for comments is 11th May 2009.
Consultation

OBESITY

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: Child weight management programme and training providers framework (2nd April 2009)
This framework agreement was developed by the Cross Government Obesity Unit with nine provider organisations, in order to support local commissioning of weight management services for children and young people.
Framework

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: One Year On (April 2009)
This document sets out the Government's progress to date and also the areas they need to focus on over the next year.
Report

OPHTHALMOLOGY

The General Ophthalmic Services Contracts (Payments) (No 4) Directions 2009, Directions under the National Health Service Act 1977 Schedule 12, paragraph 2 (1) and the National Health Service (Optical Charges and Payments) Regulations 1997, regulation 2 (1), and Directions under the National Health Service and Community Care Act 1990 Schedule 2 Paragraph 6 (2) (31st March 2009)
These Directions are made in respect of increases to NHS sight test fees and optical voucher values from 1st April 2009.
Directions

PANDEMIC INFLUENZA

Pandemic flu guidance for businesses: risk assessment in the occupational setting (27th March 2009)
This booklet explains how businesses can help reduce the spread of flu in the event of a pandemic.
Booklet

PATIENT AND PUBLIC INFORMATION

Guide to NHS dental services in England (2nd April 2009)
This guide provides information about how to get NHS dental treatment in England.
Guide

Transgender experiences: information and support (30th March 2009)
This leaflet has been produced to help trans people and their families understand about the experiences of trans people, their rights and their choices. It also helps healthcare staff to understand about their role when caring for trans people.
Leaflet

PHARMACY

Practice Guidance - Diagnostic Testing and Screening Services (24th March 2009)
This guidance, from the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain, covers ten Principles of Good Practice that should be taken into consideration when setting up and providing diagnostic/screening services.
Guidance

Counterfeit medicines for healthcare professionals (24th March 2009)
The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) say that as the amount of counterfeit medicine being sold online and through other sources grows it is increasing the risk to the publics' health. This guidance is for guidance for pharmacists and dispensing doctors.
Guidance

PRIMARY CARE TRUSTS

Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards. Data Collation Guide (2nd April 2009)
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (MCA DOLS)includes a statutory requirement for all care homes and hospitals as well as local authorities and PCTs to keep good clear records for every person that is deprived of their liberty. The Department of Health (DH), to assist with this, has produced a number of standard forms for authorities and supervisory bodies to use.
Guide

Healthy Weight, Healthy Lives: Directory of Obesity Training Providers (3rd April 2009)
This directory lists training providers running courses on the prevention and management of obesity. It is a resource for those in primary care trusts (PCTs) and local authorities who commission public health services.
Directory

PRISONS/PRISON HEALTH

Guidance notes: prison health performance and quality indicators (27th March 2009)
These guidance notes support the collection of national Prison Health Performance Indicators. The document contains statements of good practice, rationale for the inclusion of the indicators, suggests evidence that may be gathered to support the indicators and offers links to evidence sets for further information
Guidance

PUBLIC HEALTH

Stepping up. Using health standards to improve public health (1st April 2009)
This report, written jointly by the Faculty of Public Health (FPH) and the Healthcare Commission is based on the experiences of 16 Primary Care Trusts, NHS Foundation Trusts and other healthcare providers. It looks at the legacy of the Healthcare Commission's public health legacy and sets the agenda for the newly formed Care Quality Commission to ensure that public health will be at the core of the healthcare regulator's work.
Report

STATISTICS



Mental Health Bulletin: second report (24th March 2009)

Mortality Statistics: Childhood, infant and perinatal No. 40 2007 (31st March 2009)


Marriage, Divorce and Adoption Statistics - Series FM2 2006 (26th March 2009)


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