Health Management and Policy Alert

Fees scheme 2016/17

Care Quality Commission (CQC) - 
This document outlines the changes to revised fees that providers will have to pay to cover the chargable costs of CQC regulation for 2016/17. These new fees will take effect from 1 April 2016.

• Fees scheme
• Provider guidance
• Press release

Fit for purpose: workforce policy in the English NHS

Health Foundation - 
As modern health care becomes ever more complex, designing effective ‘workforce policy’ - how the health service plans, trains, regulates, pays and supports its people to ensure affordable, good quality care - is one of the central challenges facing the system today.  This report gives an overview of the components of workforce policy in the English NHS and the bodies which shape it. It argues that government and national leaders need a radical new approach to inspire an NHS workforce that is too often stressed, stretched and disaffected.

• Report
• Press release

End of life care audit - dying in hospital: national report for England 2016

Royal College of Physicians (RCP) - 
This report shows that there has been steady progress in the care of dying people since the previous audit carried out in 2013 and published in 2014. This is the first audit to be carried out since the official withdrawal of the Liverpool Care Pathway. Whilst it shows documented improvements in patient experience and quality of care, it highlights room for improvement in the provision of palliative care services on a 24/7 basis.

• Report
• Press release

Electronic health records (EHR): guidance for community pharmacists and pharmacy technicians

Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) - 
This guidance which aims to support pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who have access to patient EHRs has been updated. As well as covering general principles about how EHRs should be kept, maintained and accessed, the guidance provides specific support to the national NHS electronic record services used in the devolved administrations, tailored to the initiatives in those countries.

• Guidance
• Press release

Healthy living pharmacy: introductory infographic slides

Public Health England (PHE) - 
A set of infographics to illustrate the role of Healthy Living Pharmacies in the health and care system.

• Slides
• PHE publications

The community pharmacy offer for improving the public's health: a briefing for local government and health and wellbeing boards

Local Government Association (LGA) - 
This briefing for councillors, senior council officers and commissioners describes the increasing role of community pharmacy in public health and explains councils' role and duties. A number of case studies are included to illustrate a variety of collaborative approaches by community pharmacies working with councils and other community partners. 

• Report
• LGA publications

Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group: recommendations to Ministers

Department of Health -
The Prescribed Specialised Services Advisory Group (PSSAG) provides recommendations to ministers on which health services should be considered to be specialised and be nationally commissioned by NHS England, rather than locally commissioned by clinical commissioning groups. This report sets out the proposals considered by PSSAG at its May and October 2015 meetings, and outlines the Group’s recommendations for each of these proposals.

• Report
• Department of Health - publications

Results of quality reports assurance 2014/15

Monitor -
Monitor requires all NHS foundation trusts to produce reports on the quality of care as part of their annual reports. Quality reports help trusts to improve public accountability for the quality of care they provide. This document collates the findings of external auditors' assurance of foundation trusts' quality reports. It also allows foundation trusts to compare their performance and issues against the sector’s aggregate results. The findings may also be of interest to NHS trusts, although their data was not part of the assurance work.

• Report
• Monitor - publications

Specialised services clinical commissioning policies and service specification - 8th wave

NHS England -
This public consultation proposes a number of new products for specialised services, (including service specifications and clinical commissioning policies). The closing date for comments is 20 April 2016.

• Online consultation
• NHS England - consultations

Pharmacy dispensing models and displaying prices on medicines: consultation

Department of Health -
This consultation seeks views on proposed changes to the Human Medicines Regulations and the Medicines Act. The closing date for comments is 17 May 2016.

• Consultation
• Department of Health - consultations