Health Management and Policy Alert

English devolution deals

National Audit Office (NAO) - 
This report argues that whilst devolution deals offer opportunities to stimulate economic growth and reform public services for local users, the arrangements are untested and government could do more to provide confidence that these deals will achieve the benefits intended. It also highlights significant accountability implications arising from the deals which central government and local areas will need to develop and clarify. These include the details of how and when powers will be transferred to mayors and how they will be balanced against national parliamentary accountability.

• Report
• Summary 
• Press release

Antimicrobial stewardship quality standard

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - 
This quality standard aims to help health care professionals and organisations tackle the problem of antimicrobial resistance. It contains six statements which health care professionals can use to lower antimicrobian resistance and improve the quality of data tracking in the NHS. 

• Quality standard
• Press release

The Buurtzorg Nederland (home care provider) model: observations for the UK

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) - 
The Buurtzorg model is a cost-effective and nurse-led district nursing system founded in the Netherlands. This briefing looks at the successes of the Buurtzorg model, while also identifying some of the challenges which would need to be addressed if the UK were ever to adopt a similar system approach. The content and analysis have been updated to reflect developments taking place across the UK with regards to piloting Buurtzorg.

• Briefing
• RCN publications

Smokers and overweight patients: soft targets for NHS savings?

Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) -
This report explores how widespread the practice of restricting surgery on the basis of weight or smoking status has become by examining the commissioning policies of CCGs in England. The report compares these against guidance produced by NICE, RCS and surgical specialty associations. It found that over one in three CCGs in England are denying or delaying routine surgery to patients – such as hip and knee replacements – until they stop smoking or lose weight, in contravention of national clinical guidance.

• Report
• RCS - news

Thirty-eighth annual report on senior salaries 2016

Department of Health -
This report contains recommendations from the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) on the pay of senior staff in the public sector. It sets out the SSRB’s analysis of evidence given by relevant organisations and makes recommendations for the pay of senior staff in the public sector from April 2016.

• Report
• Department of Health - publications

Primary care

House of Commons Health Select Committee -
This report analyses the challenges facing primary care and examines the long-term solutions which can improve access to services and patient care. It warns that primary care is under unprecedented strain and struggling to keep pace with relentlessly rising demand.

• Report
• House of Commons Health Select Committee - publications

The Nursing and Midwifery Council: amendments to modernise midwifery regulation and improve the effectiveness and efficiency of fitness to practise processes

Department of Health -
This consultation seeks views on the government's proposed changes to current the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s governing legislation through changes to the Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001. The closing date for comments is 17 June 2016.

• Consultation
• Department of Health - consultations

Mental health services: preparations for improving access

National Audit Office -
This report finds that the Department of Health and NHS England are making progress, particularly in setting priorities and national leadership, but significant risks to implementing the access and waiting times programme remain. The strongest areas are the clear objectives and strong leadership, and a governance framework is being developed. The greatest challenges for the future are collecting data to show whether the standards are being met, building the mental health workforce and reinforcing incentives for providers. It finds that full information does not exist to measure how far the NHS is from meeting the access and waiting time standards, but it is clear that meeting the standards will be a very significant challenge.

• Report
• National Audit Office - press release

General practice forward view

NHS England -
This forward view sets out a plan, backed by a multi-billion pound investment, to stabilise and transform general practice. It has been developed with Health Education England and in discussion with the Royal College of GPs and other GP representatives. It commits to an extra £2.4 billion a year to support general practice services by 2020/21. This means spending will rise from £9.6 billion in 2016/17 to over £12 billion by 2021. This investment will be supplemented by a one off five-year £500 million national sustainability and transformation package to support GP practices, and includes additional funds from local CCGs. The plan also contains specific, practical and funded steps to grow and develop workforce, drive efficiencies in workload and relieve demand, modernise infrastructure and technology, and support local practices to redesign the way modern primary care is offered to patients.

• Forward view
• NHS England - news

Mental health and criminal justice: views from consultations across England & Wales

Centre for Mental Health -
With extremely high rates of mental ill-health among the prison population, this report draws on experiences from across England and Wales to determine the way forward for improvement. It finds that few of the prisons represented at the events were able to offer psychological therapies, and that primary mental health care remains the weakest element of mental health support in prisons.

• Report
• Centre for Mental Health - publications