Health Management and Policy Alert

School nursing: public health services guidance

Department of Health -
This guidance supports effective commissioning of school nursing services to provide public health for school aged children. It also explains how local school nursing services can be used and improved to meet local needs.

• Maximising the school nursing team contribution to the public health of school-aged children
• Promoting emotional wellbeing and positive mental health of children and young people
• Developing strong relationships and supporting positive sexual health
• Supporting the health and wellbeing of young carers
• Department of Health - news

Improving wheelchair services

NHS England -
These documents summarise the discussions at the Wheechair Summit, which brought together wheelchair users with NHS clinicians, managers and third sector organisations to improve services, both locally and nationally.

• Summary of key points 
• Draft action plan
• Letter from Sir David Nicholson
• NHS England - news

Solving the NHS care and cash crisis

Reform -
This report, authored by the former Minister for Health Reform Lord Warner, argues that NHS funding from general taxation should rise only with inflation and proposes a NHS membership scheme for UK residents. It also argues that the creation of a national health and care service is central to tackling the care crisis and integration of health and social care.

• Report 
• Reform - publications

Combating inflation - guidance

Department of Health -
This guidance has been produced in order to enable the NHS to take a consistent approach to resisting inflationary pressures as part of a wider programme of initiatives to stabilise non-pay spend.

• Guidance 
• Further information and supporting documents

Government response to the House of Commons Health Committee report of session 2013-14: 2013 accountability hearing with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

Department of Health -
This command paper sets out the Department of Health's response to the House of Commons Health Committee's report on the NMC. It outlines the Department of Health's response to the recommendations in the report.

• Report
• House of Commons Health Committee report
• Department of Health - news

Issues arising from the pre-accounts planning conferences 2014 (updated as at 19th March 2013)

Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) -
Three pre-accounts planning conferences were held on 28th January and 4th and 5th February 2014. This paper highlights the common issues raised and discussed.

• Report
• HFMA - publications

Mental health payment mechanism survey report

Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) -
This report presents the results from the 2014 survey of 43 mental health organisations in relation to the implementation of the payment mechanism for mental health and adult learning disability services. The survey sought to find out how the payment mechanism is currently working in reality; how far the supplementary guidance has been used for contracting purposes and how the payment mechanism and guidance might be developed in future years.

• Report
• HFMA - publications

Common core principles to support good mental health and wellbeing in adult social care

Skills for Care -
These principles aim to help staff working in social care services know how to support and promote good mental health and overall wellbeing for everyone who uses those services. It also provides guidance for leaders and managers, training and education leads, and commissioners to develop a workforce that can support good mental health for people needing care and support.

• Guidance document
• Skills for Care - news

Raising concerns at work: whistleblowing guidance for workers and employers in health and social care

Whistleblowing Helpline -
This guidance contains a number of recommendations, aiming to help make whistleblowing an important part of improving the quality of service user support and patient safety.

• Guidance
• Whistleblowing Helpline - news

Palliative care

Dr Foster Intelligence -
This report calls on NHS England and the Health and Social Care Information Centre to improve the consistency and accuracy of data recording to improve monitoring of patient care.

• Report
• Dr Foster Intelligence - news