Health Management and Policy Alert

Covid and beyond: confronting the unequal access to type 1 diabetes healthcare

Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) - 

JDRF surveyed more than 1000 people living with type 1 diabetes, or caring for a child living with it, to reveal their experiences through the upheavals of the Covid pandemic. The findings of the report reveal the impact of the withdrawal and repurposing of many NHS diabetes services on people with type 1. The report sets out a series of recommendations, anchored in the needs of people living with type 1.

• Report
• More detail

The disease of disparity: a blueprint to make progress on health inequalities in England

Institute for Public Policy Research - 

This report identifies six areas where policy needs to change to tackle health inequality, and makes recommendations across the NHS and the socioeconomic drivers of poor health. Combined, these provide a constructive plan to tackle the ‘disease of disparity’ in England – and to achieve the health, social and economic gains possible from addressing health inequality.

• Report
• More detail

Increasing recruitment and retention through reward

NHS Employers - 

This case study describes how Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust developed a comprehensive reward package to play a vital role in its recruitment and retention campaign.

• Case study

What does the new Health and Care Bill mean for NHS financial management?

The King's Fund - 

What changes will the Health and Care Bill bring to financial planning in the NHS? Siva Anandaciva looks at where and how decisions about money in the NHS will be made.

• Read the blog

Drug expenditure dynamics 1995–2020: understanding medicine spending in context

IQVIA Institute for Human Data Science - 

While the level of drug expenditure is closely watched and often commented upon, the composition of that expenditure and its dynamics are not as well understood. Typically, official statistics of drug spending only include drugs dispensed in pharmacies and do not include drugs used in hospitals, an issue which raises questions about their representativeness of total drug spending. This report includes estimates of total drug spending, including hospitals and net of discounts and rebates. These estimates have been based on official statistics from government agencies in the countries where available, in some cases not previously published internationally.

• Report
• More detail

What has been the impact of Covid-19 across the UK countries?

Nuffield Trust - 

While every health service across the United Kingdom has faced unprecedented pressures over the past year and a half, UK-wide reporting has masked any differences in peaks and troughs across the four countries. This explainer looks at the pandemic across the UK so far – describing where some of those differences have been between each country as well as the shared challenges that each health service will face as winter approaches.

• Explainer

Beyond bricks and mortar: capital funding for the NHS

NHS Confederation - 

Ahead of the Spending Review on 27 October, the NHS Confederation surveyed healthcare leaders across the NHS in England to understand their capital needs. It found that 96 per cent of healthcare leaders fear they will not receive enough capital money at the forthcoming Spending Review. Insufficient capital funding may hamper the government’s plans for the NHS, impacting safety standards, digital innovations and worsening inequalities.

• Report
• Press release

Equality, diversity and inclusion training: a good practice guide

NHS Employers - 
This guidance includes information on: who should receive the training; training objectives; training content outline; a definition of health inequalities; and legislative requirements and policies. It also covers equality standards in the NHS; understanding bias and strategies for embedding equality, diversity and inclusion. The guide is aimed at equality, diversity and inclusion leads, HR and learning and development professionals, and trade union representatives.

• Guidance
• NHS Employers - publications

Five key principles for regulation and oversight in a systems world

NHS Providers -
Across the health and care sector, change is underway as integrated care systems prepare to become established in law next April, with responsibilities to plan and coordinate care for their populations. This briefing explains how within this new context the national bodies which regulate the quality and performance of NHS services, including the Care Quality Commission and NHS England and Improvement, are adapting their approaches to more closely align with these changes.

• Briefing
• NHS Providers - publications

Evolving regulation and oversight in a systems world

NHS Providers -
This briefing outlines the key implications for trusts of changes to the NHS regulatory framework, in the context of accelerating system working and legislative change.

• Briefing
• NHS Providers - publications

Suicide in children and young people: National Child Mortality Database Programme thematic report

National Child Mortality Database (NCMD) -
This report draws on data from the NCMD to identify the common characteristics of children and young people who die by suicide. It investigates factors associated with these deaths and pulls out recommendations for service providers and policy makers.

• Report
• NCMD - publications

NHS Pension Scheme: proposed changes to member contributions

Department of Health and Social Care -
This consultation seeks views from interested parties on a new member contribution structure which makes changes to recognise that all members of the NHS Pension Scheme will be building up career-average benefits from 1 April 2022. The proposal includes basing members’ contribution rates on their actual annual salaries and reduces the cross-subsidy between higher and lower earners. The consultation closes on 7 January 2022.

• Online response form
• Department of Health and Social Care - consultations

Evaluation of the new Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Health and Wellbeing programme

Department of Health and Social Care -
In July 2017, Ecorys was commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care to undertake an independent evaluation of the new Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise Health and Wellbeing Programme. The two evaluation reports include process and impact strands of work relating to both the Health and Wellbeing Alliance, and Health and Wellbeing Fund elements of the programme.

• Departrment of Health and Social Care - publications

Tackling health inequalities

NHS Providers -
This briefing highlights the leading role trusts can play in creating lasting change in how inequalities in care are understood and dealt with across the NHS.

• Briefing
• NHS Providers - publications

The backlog of care across the provider sector: a submission to the National Audit Office inquiry on NHS backlogs and waiting times

NHS Providers -
This survey of NHS trust leaders has revealed widespread worries that rapidly growing waiting lists will worsen existing health inequalities. Findings also reflect concerns about the time it will take to recover the care backlog, despite impressive progress by trusts and frontline staff in restoring services. Almost a third of leaders (32 per cent) said it will take three to five years.

• Briefing
• NHS Providers - news