Health Management and Policy Alert

Our next phase of regulation: a more targeted, responsive and collaborative approach - cross-sector and NHS trusts

Care Quality Commission (CQC) -
CQC are consulting on changes they are planning to the way health and adult social care services are regulated. These plans reflect the priorities that CQC set out in a five year strategy for a more targeted, responsive and collaborative approach. The consultation closes on 14 February 2017.

• Consultation
• Online response form
• CQC - consultations

Consultation on use of resources and well-led assessments

NHS Improvement -
This consultation contains proposals for how NHS trusts and foundation trusts can make effective use of resources, leadership and governance enabling them to provide sustainable high quality services for patients. The deadline for responses is 14 February 2017.

• Consultation
• Online response form
• NHS Improvement - consultations

Paediatric intensive care surge standard operating procedure

NHS England -
This guidance sets out instructions for managing unplanned peaks in demand for critical care beds, across the country’s 29 paediatric intensive care units.

• Guidance
• NHS England - news

Pharmacy quality payments: gateway criteria guidance

NHS England -
This guidance outlines the first steps which community pharmacies across England need to take to prepare for the new Quality Payments Scheme which runs from December 2016 to March 2018. The Quality Payments Scheme encourages a range of activities, carried out by community pharmacists for the first time, designed to widen their role beyond dispensing to improving the quality of health care for patients while at the same time helping to ease demand on other areas of the health system.

• Guidance
• NHS England - news

Combating loneliness: a guide for local authorities

Local Government Association - 
This report warns that the impact of loneliness and isolation on health and social care means that it must be recognised as a major public health issue.

• Report
• Local Government Association - press release

Development of learning from radiotherapy errors: supplementary guidance series

Public Health England -
This document presents the causative factor taxonomy; presents the refinement to the radiotherapy pathway coding which includes the introduction of the safety barrier taxonomy; and provides guidance on the application of the taxonomy. It also shares submission procedures for coding with radiotherapy staff and risk managers for inclusion in national analysis and encourages local application of the taxonomies to improve local learning from radiotherapy error and near miss events.

• Guidance
• Public Health England - publications

2016-17 guidance for financial monitoring and accounts and management information forms

Department of Health -
The financial monitoring and accounts and management information forms for 2016 to 2017 contains guidance on completing the forms for the completion of the 2016 to 2017 Q3 and year-end finance returns. The forms are sent directly to NHS trusts.

• Guidance
• Department of Health - publications

Working together to investigate health and social care complaints

Local Government Ombudsman -
This report outlines how adopting an integrated approach to investigating complaints about health and social care can lead to significant benefits. It discovered that many of the problems experienced have been caused by the complex way in which health and social care is provided at a local level.

• Report
• Local Government Ombudsman - news

Professional appraisal and revalidation: ensuring a high-quality professional public health workforce

Public Health England (PHE) - 
This concordat describes the legal requirements for organisations who employ doctors, how PHE through the Office of the Responsible Officer delivers annual professional appraisal and medical revalidation and supports local authorities. It also outlines the expectations of support from local authorities in contributing to this process so that PHE can deliver its statutory Responsible Officer obligations.

• Report
• PHE - publications

How GP practice teams and pharmacy teams can work together on EPS business continuity

Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) -
This briefing provides community pharmacy contractors and LPCs with suggestions to support joint working between GP practice teams and pharmacy teams in the event of an outage with the Electronic Prescription Service Release 2.

• Briefing
• PSNC - news