Title: The week: 25 February to 3 March 2011
Author: User
Last saved by: Test
Company: Department of Health

The week: for NHS and social care leaders

The week: 30 November to 6 December  2012

Issue: 276

On the agenda

Top nurses announce new strategy to build culture of compassionate care across the NHS
A new three-year vision and strategy, aimed at building a culture of compassionate care for nursing, midwifery and care staff, has been launched by Jane Cummings, the Chief Nursing Officer for England, based with the NHS Commissioning Board, and Viv Bennett, Director of Nursing at the Department of Health.

Called Compassion in Practice, the vision is based around six values – care, compassion, courage, communication, competence and commitment. The vision aims to embed these values, known as the six C’s, in all nursing, midwifery and care-giving settings throughout the NHS and social care, to improve care for patients.

For further information go to: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/nursing-vision/
  
Department seeks views on protections if care providers fail
Measures have been outlined to protect people who rely on care services in the event of provider failure.

A consultation document from the Department of Health proposes a system of checks on the finances of the largest care companies, to give early warning of problems and to challenge financial models which could be unsustainable or compromise quality.

Under the proposals the Government would also introduce regulation of major care providers and, if a provider failed, there would be plans to support a well managed exit.

For further information, go to: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/provider-failures/

Policy news
1. Thousands set to take control with personal health budgets 
2. Primary care electronic cancer decision support tool   
3. Dementia - capital investment fund and national pilot schemes 

Consultations and evaluations
No news this week

Publications
4. Contractual duty of candour - standing rule regulation   
5. PCT estate programme update	
6. Financial arrangements for the temporary pertussis vaccination programme
7. Be Clear on Cancer campaigns - looking ahead to 2013 
8. NIHR launches online diabetes research resource        

Conferences and events

i. what’s new
No news this week
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.Thousands set to take control with personal health budgets
(Gateway reference number: 18492)
Care and Support Minister, Norman Lamb, announced the rollout of personal health budgets following the end of a three-year pilot, and publication of the independent evaluation. This showed that people’s quality of life improved, and hospital admissions decreased. Rollout will start with people who are receiving NHS continuing care, having the right to ask for a budget by April 2014. Future CCGs can offer them to other people who clinicians feel may benefit from the additional flexibility and control. From April 2013, responsibility for personal health budgets will transfer to the NHS Commissioning Board.

Link: www.dh.gov.uk/personalhealthbudgets
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to consider these results and make sure their local areas are preparing for 2014.

2. Primary care electronic cancer decision support tool
(Gateway reference number: 18425)
This letter from Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, describes how a pilot is helping GPs use an electronic cancer decision support tool, designed to assess patients with a possible cancer. Project leads in cancer networks and clinical commissioning groups are recruiting general practices to take part now. The project will start in March 2013 and run for six months. Project leads are discussing the pilot with their secondary care providers and seeking their cooperation. This work will support the Government’s commitment to improve cancer survival in England.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/cancer-support-tool/
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to make sure secondary care providers in the relevant pilot areas are prepared. 

3. Dementia - capital investment fund and national pilot schemes
(Gateway reference numbers: 18436 ,18396)
The Secretary of State for Health recently announced a £50m capital fund for the NHS and local authorities, working with providers to create care environments to help people with dementia live well. The process of bidding for funds is now starting. This letter from David Flory and application guidance gives further details.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/11/dementia-environments-ei/ 
Action: All NHS providers in England, along with local authorities working in conjunction with their social care providers, are eligible to apply to join the new programme by completing an expression of interest application, deadline 16 January 2013. 

Consultations and evaluations
No news this week

Publications

4. Contractual duty of candour - standing rule regulation
(Gateway reference number: 18311)
Ministers have announced the creation of a standing rule regulation that requires the NHS Commissioning Board to insert a contractual duty of candour into the NHS standard contract. This requires relevant organisations to disclose to patients or their representatives when they have been involved in a patient safety incident, building on the principles of the National Patient Safety Agency’s Being Open policy.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/duty-candour
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to make sure their staff and organisations are compliant with the existing Being Open policy, in preparation for the new contractual duty of candour. 

5. PCT estate programme update
(Gateway reference number: 18487)
Peter Coates, Senior Responsible Officer for the PCT estate programme, has written to update colleagues on the finalisation of the property transfer scheme schedules, including the recipient of PCTs' interests in NHS Local Improvement Finance Trust (LIFT) schemes.

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/pct-estate-programme/.
Action: PCT chief executives will wish to review and make sure the relevant transfer scheme documentation is updated accordingly.

6. Financial arrangements for the temporary pertussis vaccination programme
(Gateway reference number: 18445)
The Department has issued a letter providing guidance on the total amount allocated to PCTs, relating to the implementation of the temporary pertussis vaccination programme for pregnant women. This was announced in a letter from the Chief Medical Officer on 27 September 2012.

Link: http://immunisation.dh.gov.uk/finance-for-temp-pertus-vacc-prog/
Action: PCT chief executives will wish to see the amount allocated by the Department. Individual allocations will be published in next week's edition.

7. Be Clear on Cancer campaigns - looking ahead to 2013
(Gateway reference number: 18484)
The Department of Health is on track to launch new regional and local pilot campaigns to improve public awareness of cancer symptoms, and encourage earlier presentation to primary care from mid-January 2013. Mike Richards, National Cancer Director, has written to chief executives reminding them of these campaigns and the implications for secondary care providers. 

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/12/cancer-campaigns-for-2013/
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to be aware of implications for provider trusts.

8. NIHR launches online diabetes research resource 
(Gateway reference number:18505 )
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has launched an online resource to showcase how NIHR-funded clinical researchers are driving developments in diabetes prevention and treatment for the benefit of NHS patients. Suitable for healthcare professionals and patients, the resource is available via the link below.  

Link: www.focusondiabetes.nihr.ac.uk 
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to review this resource and discuss the implications with their clinical colleagues in diabetes, endocrinology and metabolics.

Conferences and events

i.what’s new
No news this week
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