The week: 26 October – 1 November  2012 
for NHS and social care leaders

Issue: 271

On the agenda

New safeguards to protect patients
A new consultation from the Department of Health sets out how safeguards for patients will be extended to NHS services provided by social enterprises and other independent companies. For the first time, these services will be secured if they become insolvent. This will make sure that, regardless of the type of provider, patients will receive an uninterrupted service they can rely on.

Under the Health and Social Care Act, Monitor, the financial regulator of the NHS, can put independent providers of NHS services through rigorous checks to make sure they can remain financially stable. As a last resort, Monitor will be able to seek the appointment of a health special administrator, who will take control of the company, working with local health professionals so services can continue. 

For further information go to: http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/hsa-consultation

Fewer young people develop drug and alcohol problems
The National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse (NTA) has published 2011-12 figures on young people’s substance misuse, showing fewer are developing problems. 
 
The figures show services are continuing to provide a range of effective support which can be quickly accessed, and young people are responding well. The proportion successfully completing their programme continues to rise and waiting times remain low - an average of two days. 
 
For further information go to: http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/yp2012vfinal.pdf

Fund to create and modernise homes for independent living
The Department of Health has opened a £300 million fund to provide new and modernised homes, which will meet the needs of older people and people with disabilities. Local authorities will be able to bid for money from the fund to build specially designed new homes, and to modernise existing specialised housing to bring it up to standard. 
For further information go to: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/10/fund-homes/

Policy news
1. NHS Property Services 
2. Implementing emergency preparedness arrangements  
3. Never events policy framework update 
4. Independent Complaints Advocacy Services (ICAS) 

Consultations and evaluations
5. Proposals to revise the regulation and governance of NHS charities 
6. Surveys to measure prevalence and severity of dental decay in three-year-olds 

Publications
7. Supporting brain donation and releasing bodies from hospital    
8. The Cold Weather Plan for England 2012 
9. Learning from people’s experience of last days of life 
10. The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP)   

Conferences and events

i. what’s new
11. Patient reported outcome measures summit 
12. Measuring and monitoring clinical quality 
13. Information governance: patient information sharing 

ii. places still available
No news this week

Patient safety alerts
Refer to website below

Extra notes
Chief executives are reminded that all communications requiring the attention of NHS and local authority management must include a Gateway reference number. In order to streamline the number of communications issued by the Department, these will continue to be summarised in ‘the week’ every Thursday.

Policy news

1. NHS Property Services
(Gateway reference number: 18219)
As indicated by the Department of Health’s baseline spend exercise in June 2012, NHS Property Services needs to capture operational income and expenditure information about the PCT estate transferring to it on 1 April 2013, to make sure it can effectively discharge its duties. This accompanying letter and guidance explains the rationale and the requirement.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/11/estates-operating-information/
Action: PCT chief executives will wish to make sure this request - for which ROCR approval has been sought - is met by the 30 November 2012 deadline.

2. Implementing emergency preparedness arrangements
(Gateway reference number: 18224)
This letter from Ian Dalton, Chief Operating Officer / Deputy Chief Executive, NHS Commissioning Board, supplements the ‘dear colleague’ letter dated 2 August 2012. This latest letter provides additional instructions and information to support implementing the revised emergency preparedness, resilience and response (EPRR) arrangements in the NHS. Links to a number of supporting documents are also provided.

Link: http://www.commissioningboard.nhs.uk/eprr/
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to make sure the necessary arrangements are in place for implementation.

3. Never events policy framework update
(Gateway reference number: 17891)
The never events policy framework has been reviewed and updated to address areas of uncertainty. It provides greater clarity about never events and the recommended response to them, following feedback from stakeholders. It also contains data on the numbers of never events reported to SHAs and the National Reporting and Learning System in 2010/11 and 2011/12.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/10/never-events/
Action: NHS chief executives will want to work with medical and nursing directors to improve patient safety and eradicate never events. NHS chairs will wish to consider the refreshed framework through their board. 

4. Independent Complaints Advocacy Services (ICAS) 
(Gateway reference number: 18309)
NHS complaints advocacy can play a valuable role in supporting people to make an effective complaint. The 2009 complaints regulations place a duty on NHS bodies to advise complainants how to get help when making a complaint, but some people who might benefit from ICAS are unaware of its existence. 

Links: http://www.pohwer.net/how_we_can_help/independent.html
http://www.carersfederation.co.uk/icas-parent/
http://www.seap.org.uk/services/nhs-complaints-advocacy/
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to make sure local complaints handling arrangements include information about ICAS.

Consultations and evaluations

5. Proposals to revise the regulation and governance of NHS charities
(Gateway reference number: 18273)
The Department of Health is seeking feedback from the NHS and other interested parties, on final proposals to revise the governance of their current NHS charities. These plans will mean the removal of regulation by ministers, and will enable the charities to operate more independently, while preserving their close relationship with the NHS provider services they support.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/11/nhs-charities/
Action: NHS chief executives and staff who wish to provide feedback should respond by 31 January 2013.

6. Surveys to measure prevalence and severity of dental decay in three-year-olds 
(Gateway reference number: 18136)
The Chief Dental Officer has written to directors of public health and dental public health, and directors of children’s services, to highlight this survey, which will improve knowledge about decay progression in pre-school years and help planners meet the oral health targets for five-year-olds.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/10/surveysdental-health 
Action: Directors of children’s services and local authority chief executives will wish to seek support from relevant colleagues, including leads in all pre-school childcare sites, to make sure the survey is completed.

Publications

7. Supporting brain donation and releasing bodies from hospital
(Gateway reference number: 18293)
This is to remind the NHS that insisting on sight of the Registrar's 'Green Form' to action the donation of a brain for research, or before releasing a body, is not a legal requirement, and can cause delays and distress to the bereaved. The references below provide information which enable the NHS to support brain donation.  Body release forms have been used by some hospitals to facilitate release, and there will be a consultation in the autumn on a release form aligned to the new death certification system. 

Links: www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/burials-and-coroners/guide-charter-coroner.pdf
www.mrc.ac.uk/Ourresearch/Resourceservices/UKBrainBanksnetwork/index.htm
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to consider how they support donation of brains for research and their policies for the release of bodies.

8.The Cold Weather Plan for England 2012
(Gateway reference number: 18232)
The Cold Weather Plan for England 2012 was issued on 26 October 2012. It is part of a wider suite of measures the Department of Health and the NHS are taking to protect individuals and communities from the effects of severe winter weather. The plan and supporting documents provide advice for individuals, communities and agencies, to prepare for and respond to severe cold weather as part of wider winter planning.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/10/cwp-2012/
Action: NHS and local authority chief executives will wish to consider the actions as requested in the covering letter from the Department of Health.

9. Learning from people’s experience of last days of life
(Gateway reference number: 18313)
Media coverage has highlighted examples where people have reported that care in the last days of life has not been of high quality. Several organisations, co-ordinated by the National End of Life Care Programme, are starting projects to learn from experiences and make improvements. 

Link: www.endoflifecareforadults.nhs.uk/news/all/learning-from-peoples-experience-of-last-days-of-life 
Action: NHS chief executives may wish to discuss the implications with their medical and nursing directors, and with end of life care teams.
 
10. The Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) implementation model
(Gateway reference number: 18314)
A robust implementation model and continuous learning on end of life care, is crucial to the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP). Whenever possible, relatives should be involved in discussions and it is important to note the LCP does not require hydration or nutrition to be withdrawn. It is a framework for good practice and does not replace clinical judgement. 

Link: http://www.liv.ac.uk/mcpcil/liverpool-care-pathway/
Action: NHS chief executives may wish to review local procedures and discuss implications with medical staff within their trust

Conferences and events

i. what’s new

11. Patient reported outcome measures summit  
(Gateway reference number: 18302)
This conference in Manchester on 6 December 2012 is chaired by Professor Nick Black, Professor of Health Services Research at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The day will take an in-depth look at Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS) and Patient Reported Experience Measures (PREMs), including national and international developments and the future of PROMs and PREMs.

Link: http://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/proms-training
Action: NHS chief executives and their colleagues can download the brochure at the link above, or contact kerry@healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk for further information. A 20 percent discount is available by quoting ref: hcuk20theweek

12. Measuring and monitoring clinical quality
(Gateway reference number: 18303)
With an address from Dr Mike Durkin, Director of Patient Safety at the NHS Commissioning Board, this conference in London on 31 January 2013 provides a practical update on measuring and monitoring quality in the new health system. This includes developing the role of the new quality surveillance groups and risk summits, and using clinical quality indicators and dashboards.

Link: http://healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/quality_indicators_clinical_dashboards
Action: NHS chief executives and their colleagues can download the brochure at the link above, or contact kerry@healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk for further information. A 20 percent discount is available by quoting ref: hcuk20theweek 

13. Information governance: patient information sharing
(Gateway reference number: 18304)
This one-day conference on 6 February 2013 in London, with an address from Dame Fiona Caldicott, will examine the practicalities of how to manage and share patient and service user identifiable data. It will also look at how to meet the standards of information governance in the landscape laid down by the new Caldicott review. 

Link: http://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/information-governance-training-nhs-caldicott2
Action: NHS chief executives and their colleagues can download the brochure at the link above, or contact kerry@healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk for further information. A 20 percent discount is available by quoting ref: hcuk20theweek  

ii. places still available
No news this week

Patient safety alerts

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has sent the NHS the latest medical device alerts in the link below. NHS Trusts are expected to take the specified action by the date given.

Link: www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/Safetywarnings/MedicalDeviceAlerts/index.htm

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Unless otherwise stated, guidance referred to in the bulletin has not been commissioned or endorsed by the Department of Health – it is evidence that organisations and professionals may find helpful in improving practice. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is the Department's provider of accredited evidence and guidance, which can be found on the Institute's website at www.nice.org.uk