Health Management and Policy Alert

Brexit and mental health

NHS Confederation -
This briefing outlines the possible implications of Brexit for the mental health sector. It focusses on the analysis relating to future workforce supply and legislation, research, regulation, cross border healthcare and public health.

• Briefing
• NHS Confederation - news

Local authority circular: charging for care and support

Department of Health and Social Care -
This local authority circular advises local authorities of the social care charging arrangements for 2018 to 2019.

• Circular
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

Learning from the vanguards: spreading and scaling up change

NHS Clinical Commissioners -
This briefing explores the ten key factors that the vanguards have identified are crucial to encourage the spread of initiatives. It points to how the vanguards have benefitted from the co-ordinated support of the arm’s-length bodies and their permission to ‘fail fast and learn faster’. It also highlights how investing heavily in different ways of sharing learning, building networks and bringing people together, have been critical to the vanguards.

• Briefing
• NHS Clinical Commissioners - news

Learning from the vanguards: staff at the heart of new care models

NHS Clinical Commissioners -
This briefing looks at how the vanguards have broken down traditional organisational barriers across whole systems, how they have engaged staff in the programmes, communicated change and supported staff to work differently.

• Briefing
• NHS Clinical Commissioners - news

Learning from the vanguards: supporting people and communities to stay well

NHS Clinical Commissioners - 
This briefing explores how the vanguards have sought to design health and care services around the needs of people who use them, focusing on the outcomes that matter to people and tailoring care to their needs and goals. It also explores how the vanguards have adopted community- and asset-based approaches to consider the broadest possible influencers on health and care.

• Briefing
• NHS Clinical Commissioners - news

Social workers and information technology

NHS Digital - 
This report outlines the findings of a survey of 786 social care professionals and finds that 98 per cent of social workers have experienced difficulty with sharing information digitally. The survey results highlight an appetite for the opportunities provided by technology but that also that there are significant barriers around digital skills, systems design and guidance on information sharing.

• Report
• Press release

Supporting mental health for all

London Assembly - 
This report finds that the prevalence of mental ill-health is significantly higher in LGBT+ communities and in disabled people, deaf people and in offenders. It argues that these health inequalities are compounded by services that do not understand and meet the specific needs of these groups. 

• Report
• Press release

Euro health consumer index 2017

Health Consumer Powerhouse - 
This annual report compares the performance of health systems across Europe. It finds that European health care is steadily improving with infant mortality and survival rates of heart disease, stroke and cancer all decreasing. It warns that too many countries are inefficiently funding and delivering care services and it highlights examples of best practice in different health systems.

• Report
• Further information

2017 survey of women's experiences of maternity care

Care Quality Commission (CQC) - 
This report finds that overall women reported positive experiences of maternity care over 2017 and  there were small incremental improvements in results across almost every question. Whilst there have been general improvements overall, the results highlight the need for better communication and greater patient choice. 

• Report
• Further information

The Government response to the Naylor review

Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) - 
This document sets out the government’s response to Sir Robert Naylor’s review of NHS property and estates, published in March 2017. The actions outlined will drive transformation of the NHS estate and help the NHS to deliver the Five Year Forward View. They combine targeted investment with clear leadership on estates matters from a new NHS Property Board and a strategic estates planning team to provide on-the-ground support for sustainability and transformation plans.

• Response
• Naylor review