Health Management and Policy Alert

Workforce planning guide

This guidance sets out the milestones and timelines for the planning process to be operated in 2013/14 to produce 2014/15 workforce investment plans. It aims to secure the future supply of workforce, in a way that both maintains safe staffing levels for patients and supports the transformation of services necessary to drive quality improvement. Stakeholder support in identifying key issues, perspectives and evidence are also called for.

• Guidance
• Call for evidence
• HEE - publications

Your choices: consultant choice

NHS England will today (Friday 28 June) begin the staged publication of mortality rates for individual hospital consultants in ten specialties, with the aim of leading a drive to give patients more information about their treatment, and helping the NHS drive up and maintain the quality of care. The data – covering around 3,500 consultants – will appear on the NHS Choices website and will cover a range of operations and procedures.

• Consultant choice data
• NHS England - news

Revised fit note guidance

This revised guidance clarifies that the advice on the fit note should focus on someones general fitness for work and not necessarily be tied to their current or most recent job. This allows patients and employers maximum flexibility to discuss what changes could help someone return to work. Guidance is available for GPs, employers and line managers, hospital doctors and occupational health practitioners.

• Guidance and further information

Health literacy: the solid facts

With evidence from the recent European Health Literacy Survey, this report identifies practical and effective ways public health and other sector authorities and advocates can strengthen health literacy in a variety of settings, including educational settings, workplaces, marketplaces, health systems, new and traditional media and political arenas. It can be used as a tool for spreading awareness, stimulating debate and research and for informing policy development and action.

• Report
• WHO Europe - publications

Cancer Drugs Fund (CDF) local briefings

These briefings break down the regional use of the CDF in 2012/13.

• Local briefings and further information

Developing the public health contribution of nurses and midwives: tools and models

These tools and models aim to support the development of the public health contribution of nurses and midwives. They cover: the nursing and midwifery contribution to public health; the evidence base for this; midwifery services for improved health and wellbeing; the NICE guidance summary for public health outcome domain; nursing and midwifery actions at the three levels of public health practice; and measuring the impact of nursing and midwifery on the public’s health.

• Tools and models

NICE guidance summary for public health outcome domain

This summary of NICE guidance aims to underpin practice to improve population health and wellbeing.

• Guidance and further information

SAFER communications guidelines

These guidelines aim to improve the communication between health visitors and local authority children’s social care teams using the SAFER process. It covers what should be considered before referral, and provides support for efficient and appropriate telephone referrals of children who may be suffering, or are likely to suffer significant harm.

• Guidelines
• Department of Health - publications

National health visitor plan: progress to date and implementation 2013 onwards

This plan sets out how partner organisations will work with the health profession, families and communities to achieve the government’s health visiting commitment.

• Plan
• Summary
• Department of Health - publications

Spending Review 2013: what it means for carers

This briefing sets out the major announcements in policy areas which affect carers and gives Carers UK’s verdict on what the changes will mean for families with caring responsibilities.

• Briefing
• Carers UK - publications