Health Management and Policy Alert

An unnecessary divide: the impact of pensions taxation on NHS trust leaders

NHS Providers -
This report suggests concerns over taxation of pensions may lead to an exodus of NHS leaders in the next two years. It includes survey findings indicating almost half of all trust leaders plan to, or are considering, leaving the NHS because of the pensions crisis. Nine in ten respondents to the survey said that they and their organisation were concerned that differential arrangements for different staff groups – for example offering a solution to senior doctors and nurses but not managers - would also create divisions and harm culture and morale.

• Report
• NHS Providers - news

Improving behavioral health care in the emergency department and upstream

Institute for Healthcare Improvement - 

This paper provides actionable guidance for hospital emergency departments and their community partners to create a compassionate, seamless, and effective system of care that is respectful of and works with patients with mental health conditions and substance use disorders who present to the emergency department. The paper includes: a framework for a better system of care that comprises four key components: processes, provider culture, patients, and partnerships; high-leverage changes and specific change ideas; suggested measures; practical tips and examples; and resources and tools. Free registration is required to access the document.

• Report

Increasing uptake for vaccinations: maximising the role of councils

Local Government Association - 

Councils are not directly responsible for commissioning or delivering vaccine programmes but they are in a unique position to understand the health needs of their local population, and support vaccination services to reach them. This may be through helping immunisation teams work with frontline services such as health visitors or children’s centres, or supporting pop-up vaccination clinics in under-vaccinated areas.

• Report
• More detail

Changes to DHSC group accounting manual 2020 to 2021 - consultation

Department of Health and Social Care -
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and its bodies within the DHSC accounting boundary are required by law to produce an annual report and accounts. The group accounting manual (GAM) is DHSC’s guidance to bodies on preparing and publishing an annual report and accounts. The DHSC is now consulting on the content of the GAM for 2020 to 2021.

• Department of Health and Social Care - consultations

QualityWatch: quality and inequality

Nuffield Trust -
This analysis finds people living in the most deprived areas of England experience a worse quality of NHS care and poorer health outcomes than people living in the least deprived areas. These include spending longer in A&E and having a worse experience of making a GP appointment.

• Report
• Nuffield Trust - press release

The King’s Fund strategy 2020–24: towards better, fairer health and care

The King's Fund -
Our work spans the breadth of health and care policy and practice, giving us a unique understanding of the strategic context for health and care now and in the future. Within this, we will focus our resources on specific priorities where we believe we can maximise our impact. Working with our staff and people from across the health and care system, we have chosen three areas of focus for the next five years where we have the greatest opportunity to use our skills and resources to improve health and care.

• Read it now

International recruitment toolkit: an interactive guide to encourage and enable good practice in the NHS

NHS Employers -
This toolkit is for those involved in leading and delivering international recruitment in the NHS. It aims to encourage and enable good practices and processes for the recruitment of international staff across a wide range of professions. This resource can be used to plan approaches to overseas recruitment activity for the first time, or to review the quality and efficiency of existing practices and processes.

• Toolkit
• NHS Employers - resources

Health matters: physical activity - prevention and management of long-term conditions

Public Health England -
One in three adults in England live with a long-term health condition and they are twice as likely to be amongst the least physically active. This edition of Health Matters focuses on the benefit of physical activity for the prevention and management of long-term conditions in adults.

• Guidance
• Public Health England - publications

Deaths in prison: a national scandal

Inquest -
This report aims to provide insight and analysis into findings from 61 prison inquests in England and Wales in 2018 and 2019. It details safety failures including mental and physical health care, communication systems, emergency responses, and drugs and medication. It also looks at the wider statistics and historic context. It makes recommendations to improve safety and prevent future deaths including reallocating resources from criminal justice to community-based health and welfare services.

• Report
• Inquest - press release

Whitehall Monitor 2020

Institute for Government - 

The seventh annual Whitehall Monitor finds that continued turnover of ministers and civil servants could disrupt the delivery of government projects and policies. Civil servants continue to move around too often. Turnover has risen at five departments over the past year, and senior civil servants move roles, on average, every two years.

• Report
• Press release