Health Management and Policy Alert

Newborn and infant physical examination quality improvement guidance

Public Health England -
This document describes the joint work undertaken by the NHS newborn and infant physical examination (NIPE) screening programme national team and the screening quality assurance service. It includes: the background to NIPE screening incidents and tools to assess maternity services against national NIPE screening pathways. It also includes guidance on identifying NIPE screening incidents in order to improve national consistency of response.

• Guidance
• Public Health England - publications

Review of the National Childbirth Trust 'Hidden Half' report and GP consultation

Centre for Mental Health -
This report found that resourcing GPs to offer a ten-minute appointment about the mother’s health would cost around £27 million a year but this could help to identify more women who are experiencing mental health difficulties after the birth of their child, and ensure that they receive timely, effective support. It concludes that an additional health check with GPs would provide an important opportunity to help women whose difficulties were missed during pregnancy.

• Report
• National Childbirth Trust - Hidden half report
• Centre for Mental Health - publications

Health matters: reproductive health and pregnancy planning

Public Health England -
This resource for professionals working with women and men that may have children in the future focuses on reproductive choice and ensuring that pregnancy, if desired, occurs at the right time and when health is optimised. Effective contraception and planning for pregnancy mean that women and men stay healthy throughout life and take steps to improve the health of the baby.

• Guidance
• Public Health England - publications

National Health Service Pay Review Body: 31st report 2018

Department of Health -
This report sets out the NHSPRB’s analysis of evidence provided by relevant organisations and makes observations on the pay of NHS staff paid under Agenda for Change for 2018 to 2019.

• Report
• Department of Health - publications

The NHS at 70: are we expecting too much from the NHS?

The King's Fund - 
This paper explores the public's expectations of the NHS, the balance between meeting those expectations and living within a constrained budget, and the question of who is responsible for keeping us healthy. It was produced for the BBC by The King’s Fund, the Health Foundation, the Institute for Fiscal Studies and the Nuffield Trust.

• Report
• The King's Fund - press release

The value of the executive commissioning nurse

NHS Clinical Commissioners -
Since their establishment, CCGs have been required to include a registered nurse on their governing body to expand the clinical knowledge and patient experience of the board. Many CCGs have expanded this role in recognition of the contribution that executive nurses embedded full-time in the day to day decision making of the CCG can make. This infographic showcases the expertise and insight that executive commissioning nurses can bring for patients, populations and the health care system.

• Infographics
• NHS Clinical Commissioners - news

Long-term funding of adult social care

House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee -
The report calls for the introduction of a ‘Social Care Premium’, either as an additional element of National Insurance or with the premium paid into dedicated not-for-profit social insurance fund that people would be confident could only be used for social care.

• Report
• House of Commons Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee - news

This could cost lives: a frontline view on the funding of supported housing

Rethink Mental Illness -
This report is based on a survey of 117 staff members who work in supported housing services for people with mental illness. It reveals that 84 per cent of those surveyed believe that the Government’s new funding proposals would mean their service would probably close.

• Report
• Rethink Mental Illness - publications
• Rethink Mental Illness - press release

Children’s public health 0 to 5 Years – interim national reporting process for the universal health visiting service: full guidance for local authority members of staff 2018/19

Public Health England -
This document explains in detail what analysts and commissioners in local authorities need to do to submit health visiting activity and outcomes data to Public Health England for 2018 to 2019.

• Guidance
• Public Health England - publications

Call for evidence on approach to loneliness strategy

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport -
The government are asking organisations with expertise and experience in tackling loneliness to provide views on the strategy framework they are developing. It is believed that contributing factors to experiencing loneliness include disability and ill health and caring responsibilities. The closing date for comments is 20 July 2018.

• Online response form
• Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport - consultations