Health Management and Policy Alert

Ethnicity, health and the private rented sector

Racial Equality Foundation - 
The link between poor housing and poor health is well documented and extremely complex, with numerous confounding factors having direct and indirect impacts on both physical and mental health. Evidence shows that homes in the private rented sector in England are in poorer physical condition compared to owner-occupied or social rented sector homes, whilst the recession has led to rising levels of insecurity within the sector, which may also have an impact on the health of residents. While the likelihood of living in the private rented sector has grown for all demographic groups, black and minority ethnic households, younger people and recent migrants are over-represented both in the private rented sector and in homes which are in poor physical conditions. This paper looks at the relationship between poor housing and health for black and minority ethnic communities and also considers recent policy responses and practical developments.

• Report
• Further information

Going home alone: counting the cost to older people and the NHS

Royal Voluntary Service - 
This report, written in association with The King's Fund, argues that older people returning home from hospital without enough support are more than twice as likely to be readmitted within three months. It argues that older people and their families, doctors, nurses, other charities, the general public and commissioners working together we can challenge the rising readmission rates for older people, to the benefit of everyone.

• Report
• Press release

The bigger picture: understanding disability and care in England’s older population

Strategic Society Centre - 
This project explores disability and care at a national, regional and local authority level in England. It brings together data from the 2011 Census, the Department for Work and Pensions and Health and Social Care Information Centre administrative data, as well as from Wave 6 of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, to look at the prevalence of disability, need and care of different types, and to ‘paint a picture’ of the lives of different groups. The accompanying policy discussion paper uses the findings of the research to evaluate public policy in relation to the reach of publicly funded support, unmet need, consistency vs. variation, as well as to explore issues around the implementation of the Care Act in light of findings from the research.

• Research
• Discussion paper
• Further information

Supporting influence on health and wellbeing boards: survey

Regional Voices - 
This annual survey asks the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector about engagement with health and wellbeing boards - what is working well, what could work better and what support would help? The aim of the survey is to capture how VCSE engagement with health and wellbeing boards is changing over time. The closing date for this survey is 23 January 2015.

• Survey
• Regional Voices news

Triennial review of the Independent Reconfiguration Panel (IRP): call for evidence

Department of Health (DH) - 
The DH undertakes a triennial review of all arm's length bodies and this document is a call for evidence on the performance and function of the IRP. 

• Call for evidence
• DH news

CQC inspections of dental, ambulance and independent acute healthcare services consultation

Care Quality Commission (CQC) - 
These consultation documents outline proposals for changes to the way that dental, ambulance and independent acute healthcare services are inspected by CQC. The proposals include new ways to inspect services with chief inspectors and public involvement on the teams; using a new intelligent monitoring system to prioritise inspections; and listening to people's experiences of care. This consultation closes on 23 January 2014.

• Consultation documents
• Online response form

Improving quality in general practice

The Health Foundation -
This evidence scan was initially commissioned to inform attendees at the National Summit on Quality in General Practice, held at the Royal College of General Practitioners on 31 July 2014. The theme of the day was 'Sustaining and improving the quality of general practice'.

• Evidence scan
• The Health Foundation - publications

NHS reference costs 2013 to 2014

Department of Health -
This is the most up-to-date information about how NHS expenditure was used to provide healthcare by NHS trusts and NHS foundation trusts. Reference costs are the unit costs to the NHS for providing defined services in a given financial year to NHS patients in England. They are collected and published annually.

• Reference costs
• Department of Health - publications

Foundation trust annual planning for 2015/16

Monitor -
This note sets out the planning priorities and timetable jointly agreed by Monitor, NHS England and the NHS Trust Development Authority for the 2015/16 NHS planning process. It includes 2015/16 planning requirements and the jointly agreed planning timetable.

• Guidance
• Monitor - publications

Capitation: a potential new payment model to enable integrated care

Monitor -
This document aims to support local service improvement and reconfiguration in 2015/16 and beyond as well as to highlight examples of successful local payment arrangements in the NHS and enable evaluation of emerging potential payment models for use in the NHS.

• Report
• Local payment case study
• Monitor - publications