Health Management and Policy Alert

Complying with Monitor’s integrated care requirements

Monitor - 
This document assists providers and commissioners of healthcare services, and health and wellbeing boards to comply with their integrated care obligations. It also explains the relationship between these obligations and the other rules that Monitor enforces.

• Guidance
• Monitor news

Health service bodies' auditor panels and their independence: consultation

Department of Health (DH) - 
These proposed regulations establish how auditor panels or audit committees will be set up so they can advise on the appointment and management of local auditors, and give advice on non-audit work. This consultation seeks views on the regulations on the form and independence of auditor panels for NHS trusts and CCGs. The consultation closes on 12 September 2014.

• Consultation document
• Online response form
• DH consultations

Addressing missing data in patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs): implications for comparing provider performance

Centre for Health Economics (CHE) - 
This paper argues that comparisons of provider performance using patient reported outcome measures should account for missing PROMs data. It argues that the missing data creates statistical problems and this may make PROMs data less representative of patient experiences. This paper tests out a statistical approach which aims to compensate for the missing data.

• Report
• CHE news

Commissioning for quality: views from commissioners

NHS England - 
This resource sets out five key messages which have emerged from the analysis of a number of CCG quality frameworks and strategies as well as other relevant literature. It aims to help commissioners with quality improvement.

• Report
• NHS England news

Biomedical engineering: advancing UK healthcare

Instistute of Mechanical Engineers - 
This report argues that boosting the number, as well as the influence, of engineers in the NHS would help cut the number of incidents caused by faulty medical equipment. It calls for for urgent action to prioritise the role of engineers in the NHS, and introduce a Chief Biomedical Engineer in every NHS acute trust.

• Report
• Press release

Auditing the accounts 2013/14 - NHS bodies

Audit Commission -
This report found that the timeliness and quality of NHS trusts’ financial reporting improved for 2013/14. It also looks at arrangements to secure value for money and auditors’ use of their statutory reporting powers. It found that in their first year, CCGs submitted their accounts on time but experienced some issues with quality.

• Report
• Audit Commission - press release

Consolidated guidelines on HIV prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations

World Health Organization (WHO) -
According to these guidelines, countries need to remove legal and social barriers that prevent many people from accessing services for HIV testing, treatment and care. The guidelines outline steps for countries to take in reducing new infections and increasing access to services for five key populations: men who have sex with men, people in prison, people who inject drugs, sex workers and transgender people. They conclude that failure to provide adequate services to these groups threatens regional and global progress in responding to HIV.

• Guidelines
• WHO - news

Focus on: A&E attendances - why are patients waiting longer?

Nuffield Trust -
This analysis from the Nuffield Trust and Health Foundation looks at patterns of A&E activity, the nature of the increased demand and what has driven waiting times upwards.

• Report
• Nuffield Trust - press release

The friends and family test

NHS England -
This guidance supports the introduction of the NHS Friends and Family Test (FFT) to NHS funded services and GP practices. NHS England has engaged with NHS providers, patients, the public and insight experts in carrying out a review of the methodology and implementation of the FFT after the first six months of national data collection. This guidance has been informed by this review and the work of a number of pathfinders.

• Guidance - NHS funded services
• Guidance - GP practices
• NHS England - guidance

Initiatives to reduce length of stay in acute hospital settings: a rapid synthesis of evidence relating to enhanced recovery programmes

NHS National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) -
This objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of enhanced recovery programmes for patients undergoing elective surgery in acute hospital settings. It aimed to identify and critically describe key factors associated with successful adoption, implementation and sustainability of enhanced recovery programmes in UK settings. It also summarises existing knowledge about patient experience of enhanced recovery programmes in UK settings.

• Full report
• Scientific summary
• NIHR - publications