Health Management and Policy Alert

30/11/05 World class financial management

Providers of public services are being challenged to consider what they can learn from international examples of world class financial management, in a discussion paper published the Audit Commission. World class financial management examines global excellence in all the key areas of financial management including governance, planning and reporting. (Audit Commission - press release)

30/11/05 Valuing People

The Department of Health has published the Government's annual report on learning disability 2005: valuing people: making things better. The report documents what the government has done for people with a learning disability in 2004, and what it plans to do next. (Department of Health - publications)

30/11/05 NHS complaints and ophthalmic services

The following statistics have been released by the Health and Social Care Information Service:

• Data on written complaints in the NHS, 2004-05
• General ophthalmic services statistical bulletin: ophthalmic statistics for England, 1994-95 to 2004-05
• General ophthalmic services: consultation tables, NHS sight tests, vouchers, workforce, premises, 2004/2005 

(Department of Health - press release)

30/11/05 Future doctors warn of threats to medical professionalism

In a survey conducted by the Trainees Committee of the Royal College of Physicians, 80% of trainee doctors and medical students felt that a decrease in medical professionalism would mean that many more doctors would leave the profession entirely.  The survey, carried out to support the College’s working party report on medical professionalism to be published next week, found that both trainee doctors and medical students were worried about factors external to medicine affecting the key tenets and values that support the patient/doctor relationship. Over 2,000 doctors and medical students responded to the survey, which was carried out with the support of the Junior Doctors Committee of the British Medical Association.  The main factors judged by the respondents as having a detrimental effect on medical professionalism were:

• expectations of the public and politicians set in the context of limited financial resources

• changes in working patterns

• changes in medical education

• protocol driven care

(Royal College of Physicians - press release, BBC News)

30/11/05 Complex disability exemplar

The Department of Health has launched the Complex disability exemplar which aims to improve local practice in the commissioning and delivery of services for disabled children and act as a training tool for staff working with children with complex needs. (Department of Health - press release)

30/11/05 Good corporate citizenship in the NHS: contributing to sustainable development and tackling health inequalities

In early 2006 the Department of Health, along with the Sustainable Development Commission, will launch a package of support materials for NHS organisations to become good corporate citizens. This will include a self-assessment model on good corporate citizenship for the NHS. How does this concept of good corporate citizenship help tackle health inequalities, improve public health and contribute to sustainable development? The Sustainable Development Commission has produced a transcript of a speech made by the Lead Commissioner for Health, Anna Coote, at the Institute of Healthcare Management conference in November 2005. She talks about good corporate citizenship in the NHS. (Sustainable Development Commission - publication)

29/11/05 Healthcare Commission visits and spot checks

The Healthcare Commission has begun visits and spot checks at almost 120 NHS trusts to ensure compliance with the government’s core standards. It is checking performance in meeting the standards for the first time in a move to assure patients that services are meeting “the basics”. The Commission will carry out the visits, covering 20 per cent of NHS trusts, between now and the end of February 2006, as part of the first stage of the new annual health check, which has replaced star ratings. (Healthcare Commission - press release)

29/11/05 Developing effective commissioning in the NHS

Monitor has recommended that the purchasing of healthcare must be separated from the provision of services so that the necessary attention and resource can be focused on commissioning. The discussion paper, Developing effective commissioning in the NHS, concludes that the Department of Health should define the role of commissioning and define the activities and capabilities involved in effective commissioning.  (Monitor - publication)

29/11/05 Commissioning children and young people’s palliative care services: a practical guide for the NHS Commissioners

The Department of Health has issued a guide to support healthcare organisations in their work with local authorities and other partners to develop children’s palliative care services. It will help commissioners of health services to apply the children’s NSF in their strategic development and delivery of children’s palliative care. (Department of Health - press release; BBC News)

29/11/05 Children's Hospice Service Toolkit

The Association of Children's Hospices (ACH) has published the Children's Hospice Service Toolkit. The Toolkit contains information on how to carry out a needs assessment, setting up a charity and fundraising for it, service design and how to deliver the service. (ACH - press release)