Health Management and Policy Alert

Report on patient outcomes in the NHS

The Office of Health Economics established its Commission on NHS Outcomes, Performance and Productivity in autumn 2006.  It has published its first report -  NHS outcomes, productivity and performance. Background papers can be found here. 

[OHE press release]

Changes in family doctors' pay

The NHS Information Centre has published the GP Earnings and Expenses Enquiry 2005/2006: Final Report, looking at the changes in family doctors' pay over time as well as how pay varies according to factors such as age of GP and the number of partners in a practice. It presents an analysis of tax returns for contracted GPs – the large majority of GPs in the UK.

[Information Centre Press release]

Consultation regarding the proposed changes to the way that the independent healthcare sector is regulated

The Department of Health plans to make major changes to the way that health and adult social care is regulated and performance managed, from a currently planned date of April 2009. This consultation document, Private and voluntary healthcare: Care Standards Act 2000. Regulations and national minimum standards, contains the proposed changes to the regulations governing the independent healthcare sector and proposed changes to the associated National Minimum Standards (NMS).

[DH Consultations]

Updated policy guidance: Care Programme Approach [CPA]

Following the national consultation, this guidance, Refocusing the care programme approach: Policy and positive practice guidance, aims to aid trusts and commissioners in reviewing local practice to refocus CPA within mental health services.

[DH publications]

Transition planning from children's to adult health services

Transition: moving on well is a good practice guide for health professionals and their partners on transition planning for young people with complex health needs or a disability.

[DH press release]

Audit Commission briefing on medium-term financial planning for PCTs

This briefing, Improving medium-term financial planning: a practical guide for primary care trusts, is based on a review of PCT local delivery plans and Medium-term financial plans [MTFPs], and gives a commentary on current PCT performance and detailed guidance for PCTs to use as necessary. The briefing is aimed at PCT finance directors, PCT Boards and all those involved in the planning process; both finance and non-finance staff.  It aims to encourage PCTs to prioritise medium-term financial planning.

[Audit Commission reports]

Speech, language and communication services for children

The Bercow Review, which the Government commissioned in September 2007, aims to improve services for children and young people from birth to 19 who have speech, language and communications difficulties, which could range from a delay in speaking to a severe stammer, or could be related to other disabilities such as autism or cerebral palsy.  The interim report has been presented to the Secretaries of State for Health and for Children, Schools and Families.

[DH Press release]

Review of the implementation of Safeguarding Children

The review, Safeguarding Children in Whom Illness is Fabricated or Induced : a review of the implementation of the 2002 guidance within NHS settings , makes a number of proposals for improvement. 

[DH publications] 

Statistics

Diagnostic waiting times and activity data  Jan 2008

Dame Carol Black's review of the health of Britain's working age population

Working for a healthier tomorrow recognises that for most people work is good both for their long-term health and for their family’s well-being.  Its proposals focus on keeping people healthy at work, and also on helping them return to work if they get ill.   It found that ill health was costing the country £100 billion a year.

Carol Black, National Director for Health and Work, was commissioned in March 2007 by the Secretaries of State for Health and Work and Pensions to undertake a wide-ranging review of the health of Britain’s working age population. The purpose of this commission was to develop a baseline understanding of the health of working age people and the impact this has on government, the economy and society; and to make recommendations to Government and wider stakeholders on how to improve the health of the working age population.

Key recommendations include:

• New Fit for Work service to be piloted for patients in early stages of sickness – if rolled out the aim would be to make work-related health support available to all
• If successful Fit for Work should be extended to those on incapacity and other out of work benefits. Government should also expand provision of Pathways to Work to cover all on incapacity benefit
• Outdated paper-based sick note should be replaced with an electronic ‘fit note’, stating what people can do, not what they can’t
• Occupational health should be brought into the mainstream of healthcare provision

[DH press release,  Working for Health news]