Health Management and Policy Alert

31/10/06 - Improvement to NHS occupational health services announced

The Minister of State for Health has announced the launch of a capital fund of £10m to invest in innovative demonstration sites that will deliver high quality occupational health services to both the NHS and workers in Small/Medium Enterprises.

(NHS Plus)

31/10/06 - Patient safety pledge made by health organisations

28 royal colleges, faculties and health organisations have signed up to the Commitment to Patient Safety. The document includes pledges on leadership, training and education, incident reporting and patient information.

(National Patient Safety Agency news)

31/10/06 - Summary of outcomes published for recovery of NHS costs in cases of personal injury compensation

At the end of 2004, a consultation was undertaken which set out in detail the draft Regulations that would govern the new, expanded NHS Injury Costs Recovery scheme. 72 replies were received. This document provides a summary of outcomes.

(DH Consultation responses)

31/10/06 - Payment by Results (PbR) road testing exercise 2007/8

The DH has published the test version of the PbR National Tariff for 2007/8. The test phase is intended to give NHS organisations an opportunity to model the impact of the increased tariff using local data and enable assessment of volume and cost.

(DH Policy and Guidance)

31/10/06 - Evacuation and shelter guidance

The Cabinet Office has published non-statutory guidance to complement Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Response & Recovery in response to calls from local responders and planners. The guidance should be used by emergency planners to develop plans that enable a co-ordinated multi-agency response in a crisis.

(UK Resilience)

30/10/06 - Securing and retaining staff for health and social care

NHS Employers has published a framework for employers on how they can provide support for NHS staff whose jobs are at risk and for newly qualified healthcare professionals who are looking for work in health and social care.

(NHS Employers) [DH Dear Colleague Letter]

Updated Health Management SL hot topics

Hospital at Night;

NHS Foundation Trusts

30/10/06 - NHS redundancy figures

The DH has published the latest statistics on NHS redundancies. This indicates that around 900 compulsory redundancies have been made in the NHS during the first half of this financial year, the vast majority being made up of managers and administrative staff. The findings are based on returns submitted by Strategic Health Authorities.

(DH Publications) [RCN News] [NHS Employers] [BBC News]

30/10/06 - State of Healthcare report published

The Healthcare Commission has published the State of Healthcare report to Parliament. The report presses for more attention on services for people with learning disabilities and mental health conditions. It states that more should be done to ensure that people are treated with dignity and respect and get better information about their care. The report includes a view of performance in meeting the minimum standards for the independent sector in England.

(Healthcare Commission news) [King’s Fund] [BBC News] [Society Guardian]

30/10/06 - High Volume Care publications launched

The NHS Institute's Delivering Quality and Value Team has launched a series of documents focusing on High Volume Care. The documents show a detailed range of specific or system improvements along the entire patient pathway, from primary care through referral and treatment to discharge and rehabilitation.

(NHS Institute)