Health Management and Policy Alert

Drinking, fast and slow: ten years of the Licencing Act

Institute of Economic Affairs - 
This report finds that the relaxation of licensing laws ten years ago benefited consumers and did not result in the disastrous outcomes predicted at the time. Violent crime fell, alcohol consumption fell and rates of binge-drinking fell, particularly amongst young people. The number of drink-driving accidents also dropped significantly after the act came into force. There was no rise in alcohol-related A&E admissions or alcohol-related deaths.

• Report
• Press release

NHS inpatient survey 2014

Care Quality Commission - 
This survey asked almost 59,000 inpatients a range of questions about the care and treatment they received. This included: whether they were given enough information, whether they were involved in decisions about their care, whether there were enough nurses to care for them, whether the wards were noisy and clean and what arrangements were in place for when they left hospital. It found that the majority of respondents are positive about their hospital stay, with 84% rating their experience seven or above out of 10.

• Report
• Related documents
• Press release

Delivering the aims of the Collaborations for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care (CLAHRCs): understanding their strategies and contributions

National Institute for Health Research - 
The study explored how effectively the CLAHRCs supported the ‘translation’ of research into patient benefit, and developed ways of doing applied research that maximised its chances of being useful to the service and the capacity of the NHS to respond.

• Report
• Summary
• Abstract

Response to ‘escalation of advice’ from Healthwatch England gender identity services

Healthwatch - 
This collated correspondence between Healthwatch and NHS England details the concerns raised by Healthwatch regarding the delays being faced by some people seeking gender reassignment surgery.

• Correspondence
• Healthwatch news

Heatwave plan for England

Public Health England -
This plan aims to prepare for, alert people to, and prevent, the major avoidable effects on health during periods of severe heat in England. It recommends a series of steps to reduce the risks to health from prolonged exposure to severe heat for: the NHS, local authorities, social care, and other public agencies; professionals working with people at risk; and individuals, local communities and voluntary groups.

• Heatwave plan
• Public Health England - publications

English devolution: local solutions for a successful nation

Local Government Association -
Devolution must reach all corners of England in order for communities to share in the Government's ambition to address the nation's economic and social challenges, according to this report by local government leaders. This white paper includes a warning to the new government that the principle of cuts without reform could stifle growth and development and challenge the sustainability of vital local services. It builds upon the evidence of three independent commissions that all conclude devolution must reach non-metropolitan England, responsible for 56 per cent of national output, and sets out a roadmap to achieve this.

• White paper
• Local Government Association - press release

Every patient a research patient? Evaluating the current state of research in the NHS

University of Birmingham -
According to this report, based on interviews with clinicians, nurses and administrators involved in NHS clinical cancer research, daily pressures on the NHS are having a serious impact on its ability to support world-leading research into cancer. It reveals pockets of excellence in clinical research, but also showed how escalating pressures to deliver routine NHS services are squeezing out time for hospital staff to do vital research. It also highlights how financial pressures are affecting research infrastructure and the capacity of host organisations to fund additional research costs.

• Report
• University of Birmingham - news

The practice of system leadership: being comfortable with chaos

The King's Fund -
This report draws on the experiences of 10 senior leaders to look in depth at the skills needed to be a system leader. The 10 individuals are from different backgrounds and work in different contexts, and give some very candid reflections on their successes and failures. There was consensus among those interviewed that much more needs to be done to develop system leaders. This could include ‘buddying’ younger, less experienced managers and clinical leaders with more experienced counterparts, and doing more to protect whistle-blowers. But there was some debate as to whether system leadership can be taught, or needs to be learnt the hard (and long) way.

• Report
• Interviews
• The King's Fund - publications

Key issues for the 2015 Parliament

House of Commons Library -
This series of articles aims to act as a guide to the potential issues of interest which the new Parliament might consider. It includes chapters on social change and health.

• Briefing
• House of Commons Library - publications

Dying without dignity: investigations by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman into complaints about end of life care

Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman -
This report contains summaries of cases the Ombudsman service has investigated about end of life care. It aims to inform the debate about how, as a society, we can drive up standards to improve the quality of end of life care offered across the country. It concludes that there is potential to improve the experience of care in the last year and months of life for approximately 355,000 people.

• Report
• Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman - press release