NHS

The standard NHS contracts for acute hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services and supporting guidance (18th January 2010)
The NHS standard contracts for Mental Health and Learning Disability, Ambulance Services, Acute Hospital and Community Services are published today.

The contracts support the NHS Operating Framework for 20010-2011: The contracts should be read in conjunction with the Principles and Rules for Co-operation and Competition and the PCT Procurement Guide.
Documents

Funding and Performance of Healthcare Systems in the Four Countries of the UK Before and After Devolution (20th January 2010)
Political devolution means there are now four National Health Services in the United Kingdom. The health services of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are all funded by the UK taxpayer, but have developed different systems of governance and different methods of providing healthcare.

Funding and Performance of Healthcare Systems in the Four Countries of the UK Before and After Devolution examines the impact of this by studying key performance indicators for the NHS in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland at three time points – 1996/7, 2002/3 and 2006/7. The report also undertakes a completely new comparison of NHS performance in the English regions and the devolved countries. This is the first time such an analysis has been conducted.
Report

The operating framework for the NHS in England 2010/11 (4th January 2010)
This briefing details the key points of the operating framework, the white paper and the Pre-Budget Report.
Briefing

NHS European Office: policy priorities 2010 (5th January 2010)
The NHS European Office has published its policy priorities for 2010. The work of the European Office covers a wide range of EU policy and legislative proposals of key relevance to the NHS; as a provider and commissioner of healthcare, as an employer and as a business.

This document outlines the main policy areas on which the European Office will be working throughout the calendar year.
Document

The new EU Remedies Directive: proven procurement is of the essence (13th January 2010)
New EU rules which improve access to rapid and effective review procedures for suppliers who allege that public authorities have breached procurement rules have taken effect in the UK.

The EU Remedies Directive amends the UK Public Contract Regulations and will affect all procurement contracts commenced after 20 December 2009.

The NHS European Office have published this briefing to raise awareness amongst NHS managers involved in procurement of the key changes to the rules and to highlight new provisions in the law which public authorities can use to protect themselves from challenge.
Briefing

Controlling public spending: The NHS in a period of tight funding (7th January 2010)
Policy Exchange research, which included a roundtable discussion with a number of senior academics and business leaders with expertise in the NHS, considers some of the options for the NHS in a period of tight funding. They believe that in order to protect the NHS into the future the next Government needs to make bold decisions on:
Performance related pay
Reducing variations in clinical practice
GP fundholding
Decommissioning services
Transformational change project
Report

ACUTE TRUSTS

The Hospital Guide 2009 (29th November 2009)
The Hospital Guide highlights some dramatic improvements in the NHS but also serious concern about the variations between hospitals. This year’s Hospital guide focuses on safety and previews Dr Foster quality accounts.
Publication

FINANCE

More for less: Are productivity and efficiency improving in the NHS? (12th November 2009)
This analytical briefing looks at how NHS money has been spent, whether primary care trusts have been successful in keeping more patients out of hospital, and whether hospitals have become more efficient. It highlights that the NHS is treating more patients at lower cost and trusts are starting to meet the challenges of the future. It suggests NHS trusts are increasing productivity and reducing unit costs. But overall, there is no sign yet that primary care trusts have been successful in moving care from hospitals closer to patients' homes.
Summary
Full Report

Auditors' Local Evaluation (ALE) 2009/10 (11th November 2009)
The supporting documentation for the Auditors' Local Evaluation (ALE) 2009/10 is now available from the Audit Commission website. This includes the overview and the key lines of enquiry (KLOE) and guidance.
Documents

MENTAL HEALTH

EVENT: Service line reporting and management in mental health (4th November 2009)
The presentations from this event that was held at the Congress Centre, London for mental health foundation trusts are now available to download from the Audit Commission.
Presentations

Report on the prescribing of anti-psychotic drugs to people with dementia (12th November 2009)
In recognition of widespread concern about the over-prescription of anti-psychotic drugs, and as part of the priority being given to improving care for people with dementia, Professor Sube Banerjee was asked to undertake an independent clinical review of the use of anti-psychotic drugs. Professor Banerjee has completed his review and the Government has issued its response to his findings.
Report

Counting the Cost: caring for people with dementia on hospital wards (17th November 2009)
This new report from Alzheimer's Society's reveals unacceptable variations in the quality of care for people with dementia in hospital.

It reveals people with dementia often spend longer in hospital than other people without the condition receiving the same treatment and nursing staff are ill-equipped to provide the specialist dementia care that they need.
Report

The Chance of a Lifetime - Preventing early conduct problems and reducing crime (23rd November 2009)
The most common childhood mental health difficulties are conduct problems. A very high proportion of those who have the most serious conduct problems during childhood will go on to become involved in criminal activity. Overall, we estimate that around 80% of all criminal activity is attributable to people who had conduct problems in childhood and adolescence.

This paper examines the links between early conduct problems and subsequent offending. It makes the case for greatly increased investment in evidence-based programmes to reduce the prevalence and severity of conduct problems in childhood. It shows that, in addition to improvements in the quality of life for many individuals and their families, the potential long-term benefits to society as a whole are enormous, particularly in terms of crime prevention.
Paper

Getting to a good place: partnership working for mental health patients (16th November 2009)
This Briefing explores how ambulance services and mental health services can work together to provide the best care for patients with mental health problems.

It sets out the key findings from a joint Ambulance Service Network and Mental Health Network project that looked at the challenges and opportunities for partnership working, including developing alternative care pathways for patients with mental health problems, improving training on mental heath issues for frontline ambulance staff,and encouraging the sharing of information.

Please note that you will need to register with the NHS Confederation website to access this.
Briefing

Mental health and the economic downturn (12th November 2009)
In September 2009 a one-day meeting on mental health and the economic downturn was held in London. The meeting was convened by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Mental Health Network, the NHS Confederation and the London School of Economics and Political Science. The meeting explored the impact the downturn was having on mental health as well as where some of the solutions may lie for those working at a local and national level in service provision and policy.

This briefing builds on the outcomes of that meeting. It outlines the challenges facing the sector and sets out how policy makers, organisational leaders and health and social care professionals should respond.
Briefing

PATIENT SAFETY

Being open: communicating patient safety incidents with patients, their families and carers (19th November 2009)
In 2005, the National Reporting and Learning Service (NRLS) issued guidance on communicating effectively with patients when things go wrong. Following changes to the NHS since the launch, the NRLS has reviewed the guidance and developed a new Being open framework.

The new framework is a best practice guide for all healthcare staff, including boards, clinicians and PALS. It explains the principles behind Being open and outlines how to communicate with patients, their families and carers following harm.
Framework

Patient Safety Fact Sheets (17th November 2009)
The NHS Confederation has produced a range of fact sheets detailing seven questions that board members of various NHS organisations should ask about patient safety.

Please note that you need to be registered with the NHS Confederation to access these.
Acute Sector
Ambulance Services
Mental Health Services
PCT Commissioners
PCT Providers

NHS

Comprehensive Area Assessment. A guide for the NHS (31 October 2009)
Comprehensive Area Assessment, or CAA, is a new way of assessing local public services in England. It examines how well councils and other public bodies work together to meet the needs of the people they serve.
Guide

Delivering Same-Sex Accommodation (DSSA): principles (28th October 2009)
Seventeen principles have been developed to ensure each organisation delivers the highest standards of privacy and dignity within all areas of a hospital, other trusts and providers. The principles support existing DSSA policy and guidance and aim to further clarify DSSA clinical definitions amongst leaders and staff within the NHS. It is intended for the principles to be used in conjunction with other guidance to drive forward improvement and ensure sustainability within each organisation.
Guidance

Deaths in Acute Hospitals: Caring to the End? (5th November 2009)
This report, from National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) highlights the process of care of patients who died in acute hospitals within four days of admission. It takes a critical look at areas where the care of patients might have been improved. Remediable factors have been identified in the clinical and the organisational care of these patients.
Report

The Human Factor (4th November 2009)
The National Health Service (NHS) 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

ACUTE TRUSTS

The health of our hospitals revealed - Hospital Guide 2008 (November 2008)
Dr Foster reveals the health of our hospitals in the annual Hospital Guide. This year’s report focuses on three dimensions of quality: patient safety, effectiveness of care and patient experience. Key findings include: market reforms beginning to bite in the NHS; another year where overall mortality ratios have fallen; wide variations in access to cancer treatments and more.
Hospital Guide