Health Management and Policy Alert

Still hungry to be heard

Nearly a third (29.4 per cent) of nurses are not confident that it would be noticed if a relative of theirs was malnourished when entering hospital, according to this report which was released as part of Age UK’s Still Hungry to be Heard campaign. The results spark fears that older people are still being left to go hungry in hospital. (Age UK - publications)

Adaptation to climate change in NHS organisations: what you need to know

This guidance summarises the current knowledge on adapting to climate change in NHS organisations. It describes what climate change adaptation is, why it is a priority for the NHS and how organisations can include adaptation in their Sustainable Development Management Plans. (NHS Sustainable Development Unit - publications)

Leadership needs of medical directors and clinical directors

The King’s Fund conducted a survey of clinical and medical directors to find out what skills they believed they need to face future challenges. This report summarises the findings. (The King’s Fund - publications)

GP commissioning

NHS Evidence - commissioning has put together a page of resources on GP Commissioning. This brings together the main reports along with links to any other relevant resources from various sources, including The King’s Fund Library. An RSS feed for a selection of the latest press coverage is also available. (NHS Evidence - commissioning)

End of Life Care Strategy: second annual report

In July 2008 the Department of Health published the End of Life Care Strategy - promoting high quality care for all adults at the end of life. This second annual report sets out the continuing progress in implementing the strategy, highlights the need for further work and identifies the action intended for this coming year. (Department of Health - publications)

National Sentinel Stroke Audit - organisational audit 2010: public report for England, Wales and Northern Ireland

This audit, commissioned by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership, investigates the follow-up care that patients receive when they are discharged from hospital. It found that while many aspects of acute care have improved, post acute services have not kept up and there is a lack of access to long term rehabilitation services, particularly to help people return to work. (Royal College of Physicians - press releases)

Improving data quality in the NHS: annual report on the Payment by Results (PbR) assurance programme 2010

This report summarises the results of the PbR data assurance programme since it began in 2007. It finds that the accuracy of clinical coding has improved since 2007, with the error rate dropping from 16% to 11% in three years. However, wide variation still exists between the best and worst performing trusts. To continue to improve data quality, the report makes a series of recommendations for primary care trusts and NHS trust to consider. (Audit Commission - press releases)

Managing serious incidents in National Screening Programmes

This guidance is endorsed by the National Patient Safety Agency and its purpose is to make explicit the requirements for national screening programme related serious incidents and to provide clarity and understanding for all staff providing NHS funded care. (Department of Health - The Week)

Medical leadership competency framework: enhancing engagement in medical leadership (3rd edition)

A revised and updated edition of this guidance has been issued. This document describes the leadership skills that doctors need to become more actively involved in the planning, delivery and transformation of health services. (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement - press releases)

Pillars of the community: the RCN’s UK position on the development of the registered nursing workforce in the community

This policy statement highlights 27 core conditions that the Royal College of Nursing believes should be satisfied for community services to survive and develop as more care is delivered closer to home, while helping health services throughout the UK to become more efficient. (Royal College of Nursing - news)