Health Management and Policy Alert

Striking the right deal: UK-EU migration and the Brexit negotiations

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) - 
This report makes the case for a new deal on migration as part of the Brexit negotiations that allows free movement but only for certain categories of people - for instance particular occupations or sectors. The report considers a range of options and calls for a system that allows free movement for certain flows, taking into consideration the reliance of certain labour sectors on EU citizens.

• Report
• Summary
• Press release

No regrets: how talking more openly about death could help people die well

Macmillan Cancer Support - 
This report finds that more than 62,000 people die of cancer in hospitals each year in the UK despite a significant majority stating that they would like to die at home. It reveals the challenging obstacles that people face when discussing death and highlights the need for better communication to help people plan for their final days.

• Report
• Press release

Social care and the mental health forward view: ending out of area placements

Centre for Mental Health - 
This is the first in a series of briefings focusing on mental health and social care and it focuses on the human and operation costs of out of area placements. Using perspectives and experiences from Bradford Metropolitan District Council, it highlights how out of area placements and use of local private sector hospitals can be reduced.

• Briefing
• Further information

Brexit and health and social care - people and process

House of Commons Health Select Committee - 
This report explores the impact of the UK's withdrawal from the European Union on the provision of health and social care. The report contains the findings of the first phase of the inquiry as further phases have been delayed due to the upcoming general election. The initial findings have highlighted the need for the Department of Health to plan comprehensively for any contingencies dependant on Brexit and the need for a pragmatic approach to workforce planning given the significant amount of EU workers in the UK's health and care workforce.

• Report
• Press release

NHS ambulance services

House of Commons Committe of Public Accounts -
This report finds that funding increases for the urgent and emergency services provided by ambulance trusts have not kept up with increasing demand; ambulance trusts increasingly struggle to meet response-time targets; and significant variations between trusts persist or have got worse as insufficient work has been done to understand and reduce variation.

• Report
• House of Commons Committe of Public Accounts - news

Integrating health and social care

House of Commons Committe of Public Accounts -
This report investigates the Better Care Fund and concludes that it has missed targets for reducing emergency admissions and delayed transfers of care.

• Report
• House of Commons Committe of Public Accounts - news

Access to general practice: progress review

House of Commons Committee of Public Accounts -
This report looks at patient access to general practice services during core hours and expresses concerns over rolling out extended access. It finds that the number of GPs has dropped in the last year despite targets to recruit 5000 more.

• Report
• House of Commons Committe of Public Accounts - news

State of child health - short report series: the paediatric workforce

Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health -
This report sets out key findings from the biennial paediatric workforce census. It reveals that in the year to September 2015, shortages of nurses and/or doctors led to periods of closure to new admissions by 31 per cent of paediatric inpatient units and 41 per cent of neonatal units across the UK. It also highlights vacancies at both consultant and trainee levels, the low number of academic consultants and the fact that GPs and Practice Nurses have limited training in child health. It makes recommendations for immediate action on a number of fronts to address workforce pressures.

• Report
• Related documents
• Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health - news

Excellence in diabetes care commissioning

NHS Clinical Commissioners - 

This showcases examples of where clinically led commissioning is changing the way diabetes care is commissioned and improving people’s lives. It draws out lessons from those involved in the projects to share and embed for the future. It features a range of programmes from CCGs across the country with case studies.

• Report
• NHS Clinical Commissioners - news

Confidentiality: good practice in handling patient information

General Medical Council  -
This guidance sets out the principles of confidentiality and respect for patients’ privacy that all doctors are expected to understand and follow. It also sets out the responsibilities of doctors for managing and protecting patient information.

• Guidance
• General Medical Council - news