Health Management and Policy Alert

How the voluntary sector is engaging with health and wellbeing boards - survey

Regional Voices -
This survey asks the voluntary sector about engagement with health and wellbeing boards - what is working well, what could work better and what support would help.  Results are being used to influence policy makers, develop support mechanisms and share interesting practice. The survey closes at 10am on 6th march 2014.

• Survey
• Results from first survey
• Regional Voices - news

Maternity services in England: fortieth report of session 2013-14

House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts -
This report finds that England may not have enough midwives and maternity consultants to provide universally safe care because Government funding is “insufficient”. It also finds that while there has been an overall increase in the number of midwives, there has also been an increase in the number of births. It makes various recommendations to the Department of Health regarding policy objectives, patient choice and addressing inequalities.

• Report
• House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts - news

Turning the tide of inactivity

UK Active -
This report contains borough by borough analysis of increasing levels of physical inactivity across England, and the steps being taken to combat it. It looks at the causes of inactivity and the interventions which are being effective. It also reveals that English local authorities spent on average just two per cent of public health budgets on physical activity promotion and investment in 2012.

• Report
• UK Active - news

City health check: how design can save lives and money

Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) -
This report looks at London, Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Nottingham and Sheffield and examines three major health problems and compares the amount of green and public space available. It finds that the areas of these cities with the poorest health outcomes had the least amount of green space. A series of actions that developers, councils and the Government can take to help make them healthier places are outlined.

• Report
• RIBA - press release

Equality counts: equality information for CQC in 2013

Care Quality Commission (CQC) -
This report sets out how the CQC have promoted equality and tackled inequality both for people who use health and social care services and for its staff.

• Report
• CQC - news

Providing integrated care for older people with complex needs: lessons from seven international case studies

The King's Fund -
This report synthesises evidence from seven case studies covering Australia, Canada, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States. It considers similarities and differences of programmes that are successfully delivering integrated care, and identifies lessons for policy-makers and service providers to help them address the challenges ahead.

• Report
• The King's Fund - publications

Sustainable, resilient, healthy people & places - a sustainable development strategy for the NHS, public health and social care system

Public Health England (PHE) -
This strategy aims to show how the health and care system can join forces to adapt for a more sustainable future while potentially saving millions of pounds. It features reducing carbon emissions, protecting natural resources, preparing communities for severe weather events and promoting healthy lifestyles and environments. Organisations are being encouraged to develop a local strategy, measure their success with regular reporting, and evaluate their progress as well as joining up with local Health and Wellbeing Boards.

• Strategy
• PHE - news

Implementing NICE public health guidance for the workplace: a national organisational audit of NHS trusts in England - round 2

Royal College of Physicians (RCP) -
This report finds that all trusts have a sickness absence policy and three-quarters have one for smoking cessation, but only 57% have one for mental wellbeing, 44% for physical activity and only 28% have an obesity plan. It also finds that where plans are in place, staff were usually involved in their production and the board in sign-off. In 2010 many trusts said they had plans in development; some trusts now have these in place but a significant number do not.

• Report
• Executive briefing
• Round 1 reports
• RCP - press release

Leading the information revolution in cancer intelligence: why the National Lung Cancer Audit is the key to transforming lung cancer outcomes

Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation -
This report analyses the importance of the National Lung Cancer Audit, which was launched in 1994 and captures up to date information on almost every lung cancer case in the UK. It compares clinical practice at hospitals across the country, helping to identify problem areas and drive up standards of care for the disease, which kills 35,000 people every year. This report credits the audit with increasing the number of patients who receive radiotherapy, increasing the number of patients who have surgery, increasing the number of patients who have chemotherapy and increasing the number of patients who see a nurse specialist.

• Report
• Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation - news

Monitoring the Mental Health Act in 2012/13

Care Quality Commission (CQC) -
This annual report into the use of the Mental Health Act provides an insight into the experiences of patients who received care under the act throughout 2012/13. It highlights five key areas which CQC will examine following the results of this report: community care; reporting on death; emergency and mental health crisis; involving people who use services; and investigating complaints relating to the use of the Mental Health Act.

• Report
• Infographic
• CQC - publications