Feed aggregator

This briefing provides advice and links to further resources, as well as summarising the School Health Service and outlining how school nurses can support its delivery now that local authorities are responsible for delivering and commissioning public health services for 5 to 19 year olds.

• Briefing
• Department of Health - publications

These instructions set out the function of approving registered medical practitioners and of approving individuals to act as approved clinicians under the 1983 Mental Health Act.

• Instructions
• Department of Health - publications

This guidance is aimed at members of boards of NHS organisations to enable them to perform their role in improving health services for patients. It is designed for use across all types of NHS providers, including existing and aspirant NHS foundation trusts in the acute, specialist, ambulance, community and mental health sectors. It may also be of use to other staff in NHS bodies, such as senior management, operational, clinical and nursing staff and those working on internal, external and clinical audits.

• Guidance
• Monitor - publications

Sir John Oldham, the chair of the Labour commission set up to examine ways of joining up health and social care, has pledged to keep an “open mind” on how the integration could be best achieved.

CQC will get as much money as they need to run the new inspection regime, Jeremy Hunt tells MPs; need for “balanced guidance” on NHS competition and the rest of today’s news

Highlights of health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s speech at the NHS Clinical Commissioners’ conference and why Labour’s Norman Warner will vote for competition regulations

Highlights of health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s speech at the NHS Clinical Commissioners’ conference and why Labour’s Norman Warner will vote for competition regulations.

A majority of the public believe some hospitals have a “tolerance of poor standards”, according to respondents to a national survey shared exclusively with HSJ.  

A NICE quality standard on autism in children, young people and adults is being developed. Its focus is on referral to and delivery of autism services provided or commissioned by the NHS and social care services. Comments from registered stakeholders on areas for quality improvement are invited until the 7th May 2013.

• Email responses
• Topic overview
• NICE - project page

This paper seeks to explain this phenomenon by developing a theory of health behavior, and exploiting both lottery winnings and inheritances to test the theory. It distinguishes between the direct monetary cost and the indirect health cost (value of health lost) of unhealthy consumption. It suggests that differences in health costs may indeed provide an explanation for behavioral differences, and ultimately health outcomes, between wealth groups.

• Paper
• RAND - publications

STRUCTURE: The Surrey and Sussex Commissioning Support Unit is to be closed after being deemed unviable.

These forms are required to request a warrant for the cross-border transfer of patients under the Mental Health Act 1983, which states that a hospital in England must obtain the authorisation of the Secretary of State for Health before it can transfer a patient to a location in Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands or the Isle of Man.

• Forms
• Department of Health - publications

This guidance provides a six-step framework and overview to support the delivery of practical improvements across the health, social care and voluntary and independent sectors. It aims to ensure that the needs of dying patients and those closest to them are paramount whilst services are commissioned and developed around them. It cautions that improvements in treating long term conditions, dementia, frailty and reducing hospitalisation cannot be achieved unless end of life care is seriously considered and integrated.

• Guidance
• RCGP - publications

This guide explains how patients can help to create a partnership with their doctor. It is based on the standards the General Medical Council sets for doctors the core guidance Good medical practice.

• Guide
• Good medical practice
• GMC - publications

This case study details the Countess of Chester Hospital’s experiences of rolling out the functionality of manager self service. From the outset, the Trust has utilised the full functionality of Self Service, in addition to integrating the OLM/e-Learning functionality, and this has positioned them as one of the leaders across the North West region.

• Case study
• NHS Employers - publications

This guidance aims to help outline some of the legal boundaries employers need to think about when considering the use of compromise agreements in terminating employment. It clarifies: what a compromise agreement is; when to use a compromise agreement; the statutory requirements; and the types of confidentiality clauses that can be legitimately used.

• Guidance
• NHS Employers - publications

This joint briefing paper from the Revolving Doors Agency, the Prison Reform Trust, the Centre for Mental Health and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) outlines how Directors of Adult Social Services and lead members can develop co-ordinated, effective support for people with multiple needs in, or on the edge of, the criminal justice system. It provides guidance for social care leaders to support the realisation of these outcomes for people with multiple needs in contact with the criminal justice system, outlining how this can be achieved through influencing local strategies, forming partnerships and offering personalised support.

• Briefing paper
• Revolving Doors Agency - press release

These directions from the Secretary of State for Health to NHS England set out how it will carry out its functions in relation to the provision of high security psychiatric services.

• Directions
• Department of Health - publications

The King’s Fund is carrying out an online survey of all 152 boards to see what progress has been made during their shadow year and what the key priorities and issues are for 2013. This will add to our knowledge and understanding of how the boards are doing and capture learning and evidence. Please encourage your local authority board lead to complete the survey.

• Survey
• The King's Fund - health and wellbeing boards project page

This manual provides practical, informative strategies and tools to help  plan and manage a communications response following a vaccine-related event (VRE) in a local community, at a national level, or beyond. It aims to teach immunisation programme managers how to use communications strategies and tools to increase public trust and confidence in vaccines, and to minimize the negative impact of VREs.

• Manual
• WHO - publications