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.
Local Routes: Guidance for developing alcohol treatment pathways (1st December 2009)This document provides good practice guidance on the development of integrated care pathways for people with alcohol problems – alcohol treatment pathways (ATPs). It is illustrated with a number of examples but is not intended to provide an exhaustive resource of off-the-shelf pathways.
Guidance Guidance on the consumption of alcohol by children and young people. A report by the Chief Medical Officer (17th December 2009)In April 2008 the Chief Medical Officer was asked by the Secretaries of State for Health and for Children, Schools and Families to prepare guidance on the consumption of alcohol by children and young people.
This guidance was published initially in draft form as part of a consultation on advice and information for children, young people and alcohol, being facilitated in England by the Department for Children, Schools and Families. The findings from this consultation have been collated and utilised in the development of this final version of the Chief Medical Officer’s guidance.
Guidance Off Measure: How we underestimate the amount we drink (18th December 2009)A new analysis, carried out by Liverpool John Moores University, finds that the discrepancy between alcohol surveys calculating consumption and actual alcohol sales equals 430 million units a week. This is the equivalent of a bottle of wine per adult drinker per week going unaccounted for in the UK.
Report
Key messages for ovarian cancer for health professionals (23rd December 2009)Ovarian cancer can be difficult to diagnose. The Department of Health has developed key messages on ovarian cancer for health professionals to support early diagnosis and better progress for patients.
Information
Specialist inpatient learning disability services. Follow-up audit of services 2008/09 (15th December 2009)In 2007 the first national audit of specialist inpatient services for people with learning disabilities took place. The Care Quality Commission (CQC) published a report and planned to follow up the report with inspections of these services.
From September 2008 to January 2009 they inspected 43 NHS and independent healthcare services and asked them to tell the CQC how they would improve their services following CQC's recommendations. CQC found that services for people with learning disabilities was mixed.
Report
Strategic plan 2010-2015 - position statement and action plan for learning disability (15th December 2009)
In direct response to the "Specialist inpatient learning disability services" follow up review which was published today, the CQC have published a five year plan outlining how it will drive up standards on behalf of people with learning disabilities. The Plan is also available in an easy read version.
Strategic Plan
Training materials for the revised National Framework for NHS Continuing Healthcare and NHS funded Nursing Care (10th December 2009)These slides have been developed to support local training. Individual groups of slides can be used for training on specific issues. Speaker notes are attached.
The slides are for general advice and training and should not be taken as a full and authoritative statement of the law and policy.
Slides
Young people and sexual exploitation: an exploration of young people's workers' experiences of providing support in Merseyside (10th December 2009)This research aimed to explore young people's workers' experience of supporting young people who have been sexually exploited in both broad and subtle ways.
Young people were not consulted for this research and this should be taken into account when considering the following recommendations from the report:
- Young people’s workers should have access to specialist training regarding sexual exploitation and training needs assessments regarding sexual exploitation should be conducted.
- The Sexual Exploitation: Risk Assessment (SERA) should be used to increase young people’s workers’ awareness of the signs that young people may be being sexually exploited or at risk of sexual exploitation.
- Consideration should be given to how the sexual exploitation of young people could be minimised via the introduction of compulsory sex and relationship education as part of Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE).
- The perspectives of young people, who have been sexually exploited and live in Merseyside, regarding how young people become sexually exploited and effective methods of support should be obtained. Young people’s well-being should be prioritised throughout the research process.
Report The Children's Plan Two Years On: a progress report (December 2009)The Children’s Plan built on the enormous achievements of the Every Child Matters framework and a decade of reform and investment in schools, health and children’s services. Much has been achieved.
In this Two Years On document the Government takes the opportunity to chart the progress that has been made so far and share their next steps.
The Children’s Plan Expert Groups were asked to review the progress that has been made and advise on the challenges ahead, both for Government, and for all those working with children and young people.
Report The Impact of the Commercial World on Children's Wellbeing: Report of an Independent Assessment (December 2009)In The Children's Plan the DCSF gave a commitment to commission an independent review of the impact of the commercial world on children's wellbeing. That assessment, conducted by Professor David Buckingham and a panel of experts, is now complete and this report presents their findings.
The assessment was launched with an online call for evidence, which was widely circulated to relevant stakeholder groups. This resulted in a range of submissions from businesses, trade associations, non-government organisations, consumer groups, teacher unions, campaigners, and others.
Report The Prince's Trust YouGov Youth Index 2010 (4th January 2010)Older teenagers and young adults who are out of work face poorer health and lower happiness, with one in 10 claiming that unemployment drove them to drugs or alcohol, according to new research.
A Princes Trust study, based on interviews with over 2,000 unemployed 16 to 25 year olds, also found out-of-work young people were more likely to feel ashamed, rejected and unloved. If the current economic downturn mirrors previous recessions these could become ‘permanent psychological scars’, the charity warned.
Survey
PCT Spend and Outcome Factsheets and Tool (SPOT) (December 2009)The Department of Health commissioned the Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) to develop a tool which helps commissioners to link health outcomes and expenditure. Yorkshire and Humber Public Health Observatory led the development of the tool and a factsheet for every Primary Care Trust (PCT) in England. The tool, factsheet and user guide are now available.
Tool World Class Commissioning - December 2009 update (17th December 2009)Monthly progress report on the world class commissioning programme.
Update Cancer commissioning guidance - updates (16th December 2009)The cancer commissioning guidance announced as part of the Cancer Reform Strategy has been developed to support world-class commissioning of cancer services across the NHS. This guidance sets out, in an easy-to-use format, key issues and questions that commissioners and cancer network teams will want to take into consideration when assessing health needs, reviewing services, developing their contract service specifications and monitoring performance.
Guidance Cheshire and Merseyside Partners in Public Health Contribution to World Class Commissioning (23rd December 2009)This paper builds on the work of individual PCTs across Cheshire and Merseyside and their collective programmes through the Cheshire and Merseyside Public Health Network. The purpose of the paper is to:
- Illustrate through network outcomes, evidence, approaches and innovative practices how the network clearly supports C&M PCTs world class commissioning assessments
- Reflects public health challenges and progress that exist in Cheshire and Merseyside and the contribution ChaMPs provides through well-established national, regional and local collaborations
- Provides acknowledgement of the good, and signposts the steps required to move to great
Paper Service for the treatment and management of schizophrenia in adults (December 2009)This commissioning guide provides support for the local implementation of NICE clinical guidelines through commissioning, and is a resource to help health and social care professionals in England to commission an effective service for the treatment and management of schizophrenia in adults (18 years and over) with an established diagnosis of schizophrenia with onset before age 60.
GuideService for the diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis in adults (December 2009)This commissioning guide provides support for the local implementation of NICE clinical guidelines through commissioning, and is a resource to help health professionals in England to commission an effective service for the diagnosis and management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in adults.
The Topic-specific Advisory Group identified that at presentation the diagnosis of RA may not be readily apparent, yet early intervention is important. Therefore patients referred to this service are likely to include people with early inflammatory arthritis. The principles of commissioning a service for people with RA may also be applied to the commissioning of services for people with early inflammatory arthritis.
Guide
Response to the consultation on the revision of the Fair Access to Care Services guidance to support councils to determine eligibility for social care services (16th December 2009)A public consultation on revised guidance on eligibility for social care closed on 6th October 2009. This report is a summary of the consultation responses. The revised guidance will replace the 2003 Fair Access to Care Services guidance and aims to support fair and transparent implementation of eligibility criteria, within the new policy context of personalisation and prevention set out in Putting People First.
Consultation Response
NHS Car Parking: Consultation on Improving Access for Patients (29th December 2009)This consultation seeks views on the implementation of free NHS hospital car parking for inpatients.
Closing date for comments is 23rd February 2010.
Consultation Strengthening national commissioning: a consultation document (11th December 2009)This consultation seeks views from the NHS, industry and other stakeholders on the Government's proposals for an incremental development of some of the arrangements proposed in the Carter Review, in particular reshaping the membership and role of the National Commissioning Group (NCG).
Closing date for comments is 19th February 2010.
Consultation Mainstreaming the commissioning of local services to address violence against women and girls (22nd December 2009)Following the publication of the cross-government strategy "Together we can end violence against women and girls" on 25 November 2009, the Home Office have produced draft commissioning guidance to support local commissioners and partnerships. It will help them develop the best approach to commissioning services to prevent violence against women and girls, protect victims and potential victims and provide services to victims and perpetrators in local areas.
Closing date for comments is 15th March 2010.
Consultation Responding to Lord Laming's recommendations for further guidance on effective practice for Local Safeguarding Children Boards - A Summary Outline for consultation and a call for evidence (December 2009)In "The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report" published by Lord Laming on 12th March 2009, he recommended that the Department for Children, Schools and Families must provide further guidance to Local Safeguarding Boards on how to operate as effectively as possible.
This summary outline builds on the progress already made in addressing Lord Laming's recommendations. The National Safeguarding Delivery Unit welcomes views on the proposed outline and issues that the practice guidance should cover.
Closing date for comments is 29th January 2010.
Consultation Working Together to Safeguard Children (18th December 2009)In "The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report" Lord Laming made a number of recommendations which the Government has proposed to address through the revision of Working Together to Safeguard Children statutory guidance. This revised draft guidance addresses 17 of Lord Laming's recommendations, as indicated in the National Safeguarding Delivery Unit's earlier pre-consultation. The revised draft also updates the guidance to reflect changes to the policy and legislative landscape since Working Together was last published in 2006.
Closing date for comments is 11th February 2010.
Consultation The proposals to implement 'generic substitution' in primary care, further to the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS) 2009. Consultation document (5th January 2009)Consultation document asking for views on options for the implementation of generic substitution in England.
Closing date for comments is 30th March 2009.
Consultation
Simplification plan: year four 2009 (14th December 2009)This is the fourth annual Simplification Plan. It describes the Department of Healths continuing efforts to deliver the Government's 25 per cent target for reducing the administrative burden of compliance with regulations affecting the private sector. Work also continues to reform the regulatory framework for health and adult social care over the next year. The new regulator, the Care Quality Commission, created on 1 April 2009, replacing three previous regulatory bodies, has the ambition to be a truly world class regulator that acts in a proportionate, targeted, consistent, transparent and accountable way to ensure the effective protection of patients, clients and the public.
Report Department of Health autumn performance report 2009 (10th December 2009)The 2009 Autumn Performance Report - an annual HM Treasury requirement - details progress made on the 44 indicators measuring the Department's Departmental Strategic Objectives and two Public Service Agreements, agreed for the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR07). It also reports on progress made against the CSR07 Value for Money target from the work on the Operational Efficiency Programme, Public Value Programme and QIPP.
Report
Aiming high for disabled children: improving data (15th December 2009)York Health Economics Consortium were commissioned by the Department of Health to explore how data on disabled children is collected, managed and used at a local level. The focus of the research was fieldwork across eight health economies in England, underpinned by a review of peer-reviewed literature. The report of the research project sets out key findings on:
- the definitions of disability used by different agencies and services
- the information about disabled children that is captured.
- how such information is collected and stored.
- how such information is shared.
Report
Hepatitis C in the UK: 2009 Report (11th December 2009)According to latest figures released by the Health Protection Agency, more than 8,000 people were diagnosed with hepatitis C last year in England.
Figures from the agency's yearly report on Hepatitis C for 2009 show that laboratory reporting of newly diagnosed hepatitis C infections in England increased in 2008 by 6% compared to 2007, with 8,196 new cases reported in 2008.
Report
Project Argus - Health (9th December 2009)This is a letter from Richard Hampton, Head of NHS Security Management Service; Chris Phillips Head of the National Counter Terrorism Security Office and Andy Cobb, CONTEST and CNI Lead, Emergency Preparedness Division, Department of Health. It highlights the launch of Project Argus – Health: a multimedia presentation which explores the possible consequences for the health sector in the aftermath of a terrorist attack and the risks it itself may face.
Letter
Fracture prevention services: an economic evaluation (15th December 2009)This economic evaluation models the costs and benefits from establishing a fracture liaison service, to reduce the risk of secondary fractures.
Report
HPV Vaccination programme: update (18th December 2009)Final update regarding the death of the young girl from Coventry who died after receiving an HPV vaccine.
Letter
The Health and Social Care Act 2008: Code of Practice for health and adult social care on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance (16th December 1998)The Code of Practice, which comes into force on 1 April 2010 for the NHS and October 2010 for all other registered providers, sets out the criteria against which a registered provider will be assessed by the Care Quality Commission. It also provides guidance on how the provider can meet the registration requirement relating to healthcare associated infections set out in the regulations.
Guidance MRSA objective for 2010-11 (11th December 2009)Following a recommendation from the National Quality Board, from April 2010, NHS organisations will be set an objective for reducing MRSA infections, relative to the median, with the best-performers setting their objectives locally.
The MRSA objective reflects a zero tolerance approach to preventable infections and the aim of reducing variation in performance on MRSA bloodstream infections.
Publication
Informatics Planning 2010/11 (17th December 2009)The operating framework 2010/11 confirms that informatics will be included in operational plans and this document provides guidance on the informatics components of these plans. National expectations for the NHS for delivery of national and local objectives are set out, building on existing investments to strengthen local information and data management.
Framework
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 Leading Together Better (29th December 2009)During the summer of 2009, the IDeA’s Healthy Communities programme sponsored a research project by Shared Intelligence. This explored the nature of partnership working between directors of public health, adults’ services and children’s services. The project arose after the first joint conference between the Association of Directors of Public Health (ADPH), Association of Directors of Adults Social Services (ADASS) and Association of Directors of Children’s Services (ADCS). The conference report reveals well-established partnership relationships between all three directors.
The IDeA has distributed the report to local authorities and primary care trusts (PCTs). It hopes that this will stimulate local discussion on the nature of partnership working for health and wellbeing and how it can be improved.
Document
The second year of the Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service: 2008/09 (23rd December 2009)The Independent Mental Capacity Advocacy Service was created under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. It started in 2007 and this is the annual report of its second year in operation.
Report
Directions to NHS bodies concerning the cost of telephone calls 2009 (22nd December 2009)These Directions came into force on 21st December 2009.
Directions The NHS operating framework for England for 2010/11 (16th December 2009)The operating framework for the NHS for 2010/11 sets out the priorities for the NHS for the year ahead to enable them to begin their planning.
For the third year in a row, the national priorities in the operating framework remain the same, providing important stability. The five priorities continue to be:
- improving cleanliness and reducing healthcare associated infections;
- improving access through achievement of the 18-week referral to treatment pledge and improving access (including at evenings and weekends) to GP services;
- keeping adults and children well, improving their health and reducing health inequalities;
- improving patient experience, staff satisfaction, and engagement; and
- preparing to respond in a state of emergency such as an outbreak of pandemic flu, learning from our experience of swine flu.
Framework NHS 2010-2015: from good to great. Preventative, people-centred, productive (10th December 2009)Secretary of State Andy Burnham introduces a five-year plan to reshape the NHS to meet the challenge of delivering high quality health care in a tough financial environment. The report describes practical measures to meet the demands of an aging population and the increased prevalence of lifestyle diseases. The vision is for an NHS that is organised around patients whether at home, in a community setting or in hospital. There will be a renewed focus on prevention with the ambition of delivering cost-effective high quality care across the service.
Command Paper The Human Factor (November 2009)The National Health Service needs to save £15 billion to £20 billion over the next few years.
This paper argues that these savings could be achieved through radical patient-centred service redesign and more effective approaches to public behaviour change. However, these approaches are difficult to develop within the existing health service.
Paper Conservative Draft Manifesto 2010. Chapter One: Our reform plan for the NHS (4th January 2009)The Conservative party have set out their plans for healthcare if they win the election. Some of the main points are:
- NHS providers to become Foundation Trusts
- Patients to be in charge of own health records with ability to choose which providers they share them with
- GPs' to hold patients' budgets and commission are on their behalf
- Link GPs' pay to quality of results they deliver
- Create an independent NHS board to allocate resources to different parts of the country
- Turn the Department of Health into a Department of Public Health
- Provide separate public health funding to local authorities
Document
Interventional Procedures Guidance IPG322. Negative pressure wound therapy for the abdomen (16th December 2009)Emergency surgery for trauma or severe infection may lead to a wound being left open on the trunk. Such wounds may take many months to heal. Negative pressure wound therapy uses a dressing inserted against the bowel, tubing and suction a small vacuum unit to apply suction to the wound, with the aims of reducing healing time and simplifying wound management. The dressing may be left in place for days or weeks.
GuidanceInterventional Procedures Guidance IPG323. Balloon catheter insertion for Bartholin's cyst or abscess (16th December 2009)The Bartholin’s glands are at the entrance of the vagina. A cyst or abscess can form in the Bartholin’s duct (which drains the glands) if it becomes blocked or infected. Cysts are usually treated either by ‘incision and drainage’ or ‘marsupialisation’, which involves cutting into the cyst and placing stitches to make a permanent opening so that the gland can drain freely. Insertion of a balloon catheter is a non-surgical alternative to incision and drainage or marsupialisation.
GuidanceInterventional Procedures Guidance IPG324. Electrocautery cutting balloon treatment for pelviureteric junction obstruction (16th December 2009)Pelviureteric junction obstruction is a condition caused by a narrowing of the funnel-shaped part of the kidney (known as the renal pelvis) where urine collects before being carried to the bladder by tubes called ureters. The obstruction may cause episodes of loin pain and/or nausea and vomiting, urinary infections and kidney stones. In some patients the condition could also affect the normal function of the kidney.
This procedure (electrocautery cutting balloon treatment) aims to widen the renal pelvis by inserting a catheter with a balloon and wire into the urinary tract. The wire is used to cut away the tissue that is causing the obstruction.
GuidanceInterventional Procedures Guidance IPG325. Endopyelotomy for pelviureteric junction obstruction (16th December 2009)Pelviureteric junction obstruction is a condition caused by a narrowing of the funnel-shaped part of the kidney (known as the renal pelvis) where urine collects before being carried to the bladder by tubes called ureters. The obstruction may cause episodes of loin pain and/or nausea and vomiting, urinary infections and kidney stones. In some patients the condition could also affect the normal function of the kidney.
This procedure (endopyelotomy) aims to widen the renal pelvis by inserting small instruments either up through the urinary tract or down through the skin and into the kidney. The instruments are used to remove the tissue that is causing the obstruction by cutting or burning it away or by applying laser.
GuidanceInterventional Procedures Guidance IPG326. Laparoscopic augentation cystoplasty (including clam cystoplasty) (16th December 2009)An ‘overactive bladder’ or detrusor hyper-reflexia causes symptoms of urgent need to urinate, urge incontinence, frequent urination and waking at night to urinate. One of the causes is bladder muscle (detrusor) overactivity, in which the detrusor contracts unexpectedly during bladder filling. Laparoscopic augmentation cystoplasty (including clam cystoplasty) is reconstructive surgery to increase the size of the bladder and is done via small incisions. The procedure involves sewing or stapling a tissue graft from a section of the small intestine (ileum), colon or other substitutes to the urinary bladder.
GuidanceInterventional Procedures Guidance IPG327. Radiofrequency ablation for the treatment of colorectal liver metastases (16th December 2009)Colorectal cancer is a type of cancer that develops in the bowel (including the colon and rectum). In some patients, cancer cells could spread from the bowel to other parts of the body to form one or more ‘secondary tumours’, also known as ‘metastases’. For bowel cancer, most commonly secondary tumours occur in the liver.
Radiofrequency ablation uses heat to destroy cancer cells in the liver. It involves placing one or more electrodes into the tumour. The electrodes are used to heat the tumour with the aim of destroying it. Radiofrequency ablation can be applied through the skin or during surgery.
GuidanceInterventional Procedure Guidance IPG328. Suction diathermy adenoidectomy (16th December 2009)Adenoids are small lumps of lymphoid tissue at the back of the nose, which are part of the immune system. They are largest in young children and usually disappear by adulthood. An adenoidectomy is an operation to remove the adenoids if they become enlarged and are thought to be causing health problems such as ‘glue ear’. Suction diathermy adenoidectomy is a type of surgery to remove the adenoids using heat and suction.
GuidanceInterventional Procedures Guidance IPG329. Total prosthetic replacement of the temporomandibular joint (16th December 2009)The temporomandibular joint (TMJ) is formed by the temporal bone of the cranium (skull) and the lower jaw or mandible. Symptoms of degenerative disease in this joint include dysfunction or pain in the head, face, jaws, neck and shoulders. TMJ replacement involves substituting a prosthesis, usually metal-on-metal or metal-on-acrylic, for the TMJ. The procedure takes 2–3 hours and the patient is usually in hospital for a few days afterwards.
GuidanceInterventional Procedures Guidance IPG330. Vagus nerve stimulation for treatment - resistant depression (16th December 2009)Depression is associated with feelings of sadness, despair, helplessness, hopelessness and lack of interest in life. People with severe depression may be unable to eat or sleep or to take part in social activities, and they may become completely withdrawn. Vagus nerve stimulation aims to improve mood regulation and reduce depression by stimulating the nerve in the neck that carries signals to the brain areas involved. A generator implanted under the skin in the chest area is used to provide electrical stimulation to the nerve.
Guidance
A(H1N1) Swine Influenza: SocCon - end to national collection (18th December 2009)Letter from Roy Taylor regarding the national collection of SocCon data.
Letter A(H1N1) swine flu influenza: phase two of the vaccination programme; children over 6 months and under 5 years: dosage schedule update (December 2009)On 8 December, Health Secretary Andy Burnham announced that the swine flu vaccination programme would be extended to children between the ages of six months and five years. This age group was identified as the next priority group for the vaccine because they are more likely to be hospitalised if they fall ill with swine flu. The licence has been amended to allow a one dose schedule in children.
Letter
Swine flu vaccination: information for parents of children over six months and under five years old (15th December 2009)All children over six months and under five years of age are now being offered the swine flu vaccine. This leaflet has been developed to provide parents and carers with information about the vaccination.
Leaflet
Safer lithium therapy (7th December 2009)The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has published new guidance for NHS and independent healthcare organisations to improve the safety of lithium therapy.
The Patient Safety Alert calls on frontline services to ensure that patients who are prescribed lithium are monitored in accordance with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.
In addition, the Patient Safety Alert is calling on healthcare providers to ensure that:
There are reliable systems in place to make sure that the results of blood tests are communicated between laboratories and prescribers;
- At the start of lithium therapy, and throughout their treatment, patients receive appropriate ongoing verbal and written information and a record book to track lithium blood levels and relevant clinical tests;
- Prescribers and pharmacists check that blood tests are being monitored regularly and that it is safe to issue a repeat prescription or dispense the prescribed lithium;
- Systems are in place to identify and deal with medicines that might adversely interact with lithium therapy.
Press Release
Patient Information Pack
Payment by Results 2010-11 road test package (17th December 2009)The road test exercise provides an opportunity for the service to get used to the new tariff, and supports the planning process. The main focus of the road test this year is to gather comments on the draft guidance, which has been substantially revised and expanded.
Documents
Primary Care: Current Innovations (1st December 2009)A new report presents an overview of international developments in Primary Care at both country wide and service level. It describes some of the aims of the health policies of a range of countries in the developed world and provides examples of service shifts that have been implemented in order to meet the specific requirements and contextual factors of the country or service involved.
Report
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
PALS in prison: a toolkit and good practice guidance for implementing Patient Advice and Liaison Services in a secure setting (23rd December 2009)Toolkit and good practice guidance covering the implementation of the Patient Advice and Liaison Service in a secure setting. Designed to be read by commissioners and providers of healthcare in the criminal or youth justice sectors.
Toolkit Get out of jail BBV free! (18th December 2009)Leaflet on bloodborne viruses for use in prisons.
Leaflet
Transfer of commissioning and funding of social care for adults with learning disabilities from the NHS to local Government: final returns for 2009/10 by 15 January 2010 (17th December 2009)From April 2009, funding and commissioning of social care for adults with learning disabilities transferred from the NHS to local authorities. The Department of Health have produced two letters, one for commissioners in primary care trusts and local authorities and one for strategic health authorities and deputy regional directors of social care, which gives further guidance.
Letters
The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG): Sixth Annual Report 2008/09 (15th December 2009)The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group (TPIAG) monitors the implementation of the Government’s Teenage Pregnancy Strategy and advises ministers.
This is TPIAG’s sixth annual report. It contains recommendations to accelerate and progress the Teenage Pregnancy
Strategy which has two strands:
- To halve the number of under-18 conceptions by 2010 (and to establish a firm downward trend in the rate of under-16 conceptions)
- To increase the participation of young mothers aged 16-19 in education, employment and training to reduce the risk of long-term social exclusion, with a target of 60% participation by 2010.
Report
Developing psychosocial resilience: how to cope in a crisis (16th December 2009)This guidance provides a stepped model of care for staff that is sensitive and responsive to their needs before, during and after emergencies. It will ensure that staff are prepared to cope with long-sustained demand.
Guidance A guide to the implications of the European Working Time Directive for doctors in training (15th December 2009)This document provides clarity on the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) by giving guidance using the views of experts who have already considered most issues arising from the EWTD, implemented in the UK as the Working Time Directive Regulations 1998/the Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 and subsequent amendments. Where a definition already exists by statute or regulation, this is noted; but in other situations a consensus view is given.
Document
