Health Management and Policy Alert

Effectiveness of local authority overview and scrutiny committees

House of Commons Communities and Local Government Committee - 
This report warns that scrutiny is often not held in high enough esteem, leading to a lack of constructive challenge to improve services for residents. It calls on the government to encourage a culture change within local authorities to ensure overview and scrutiny is truly independent of the executive and can properly contribute to improving services for taxpayers

• Report
• Press release

Innovation in housing, care and support

NHS Confederation - 
This briefing makes the case for collaboration between health and housing organisations in order to improve patient outcomes whilst relieving pressure on mental health services. It contains four case studies on innovative support and care services delivered through collaborations between housing and health care providers. 

• Briefing
• Press release

Making strategic commissioning work: lessons from home and away

NHS Clinical Commissioners - 
With the move towards accountable care, clinical commissioners are starting to take on a more strategic role. This report aims to support commissioners in these new functions by outlining best practice from health systems around the world which are developing policy around new care models and place-based systems of care.

• Report
• Press release

Enabling BME nurse and midwife progression into senior leadership positions

NHS England - 
This report summarises the learning from engagement work, which identifed what the best performing trusts in the workforce race equality standard area were doing, and includes examples that outline best practice approaches and a number of suggested actions to support improvement.

• Report
• NHS England publications

NHS workforce race equality standard: 2017 data analysis report for NHS trusts

NHS England - 
This report analyses the data on race equality in the NHS workforce and finds steady improvements in some areas. The number of BMA senior managers has increased by 18% and there has been an increase in the number of NHS trusts with more than one BME board member. However, the analysis finds that BME members of staff are more likely to experience discrimination at work and within the recruitment process.

• Report
• NHS England publications

Proposed minimum unit price for alcohol would lead to large price rises

Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) - 
This briefing finds that the proposed Scottish 50p minimum unit price for alcohol would increase retail prices of alcohol for the majority of products by an average of 35 per cent. The analysis argues that a reform of alcohol duties might be more beneficial and effective than minimum pricing.

• Briefing
• Press release

Sport participation in England

House of Commons Library - 
This briefing provides statistics about participation in sport in England by intensity, type and socioeconomic characteristics in England. It finds that more men than women participate in sport and that the highest level of participation occurred among the highest social classes.

• Briefing
• Summary

Facing the facts, shaping the future: a draft health and care workforce strategy for England to 2027

Health Education England (HEE) - 
This draft strategy argues that the NHS needs radical action to improve working conditions, boost training and retention and become a model employer for staff. It sets out a range of measures to improve productivity, boost training and retention, open up new routes into nursing and prepare the future workforce for technological advances which are poised to transform modern medicine. Views are being sought on this draft strategy until 23 March 2018.

• Strategy
• Consultation
• Press release

Department of Health single departmental plan

Department of Health (DH) - 
This plan sets out the Department of Health's five key objectives, how it will achieve them and the lead ministers and officials responsible for each objective.

• Plan

A good retirement: public attitudes to the role of the state and the individual in achieving financial security in later life

Demos -
This research shows that more than 57 per cent of the public believe that the individual has greater responsibility than the Government in meeting the costs of their care. The research reveals that there is a gap between citizens’ expectations and the realities of the preparations they will be able to make for their futures.

• Report
• Demos - press release