Health Management and Policy Alert

Decisions on exclusions

NHS Resolution -
These resources from NHS Resolution’s Practitioner Performance Advice service aim to help health care leaders make the right decisions on exclusions, to ensure patients and staff are protected from harm, and that doctors and dentists are treated fairly, in line with a just and learning culture. The materials include an exclusions flowchart to ensure compliance with good practice, a recording template for the formal exclusion of a practitioner to capture and record decision making, and an exclusion case studies learning pack containing a series of illustrative case studies.

• Resources
• NHS Resolution - publications

Consultation draft of revised good medical practice

General Medical Council -
The regulator has today launched a 12-week consultation on the content of Good medical practice. The guidance, last updated in 2013, outlines the professional values, knowledge and behaviours expected of doctors working in the UK. Included for the first time is a duty for doctors to act, or support others to act, if they become aware of workplace bullying, harassment or discrimination, as well as zero tolerance of sexual harassment. The draft guidance also responds to calls from doctors for greater clarity on their use of social media. A new duty makes clear that they must not use digital communications channels to mislead, and they should ‘make reasonable checks’ to avoid doing so. The consultation runs until 20 July 2022.

• Draft guidance
• General Medical Council - consultation

NHS litigation reform

House of Commons Health and Social Care Select Committee -
This report finds the current system for compensating injured patients in England ‘not fit for purpose’ and urges a radically different system to be adopted. It describes how reforms would introduce an administrative scheme which would establish entitlement to compensation on the basis that correct procedures were not followed and the system failed to perform rather than clinical negligence which relies on proving individual fault. The new system would prioritise learning from mistakes and would reduce costs.

• Report
• Health and Social Care Select Committee - press release

International health care outcomes index 2022

Civitas -
This comparison of global health systems places the UK second to bottom across a series of major health care outcomes, including life expectancy and survival rates from cancer, strokes and heart attacks. The comparative study ranks the performance of the UK health care system with that of 18 comparable countries since 2000 or the earliest year for which data is available. It covers the level of health spending, overall life expectancy, the health care outcomes of the major diseases and the outcomes for treatable mortality and childbirth.

• Report
• Civitas - publications

Adult social care and immigration: a report from the Migration Advisory Committee

Migration Advisory Committee -
This report responds to the commission from the Minister for Future Borders and Immigration to review adult social care, and the impact that ending freedom of movement has had on the sector. The commission came from a commitment that the government gave in the House of Lords as part of the Immigration and Social Security Co-ordination (EU Withdrawal) Act 2020, which ended Freedom of Movement and introduced a new points-based immigration system for the UK.

• Report
• Migration Advisory Committee - publications

 

Health and prosperity: introducing the Commission on Health and Prosperity

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) -
This report warns that the UK’s deep health inequalities and ineffective policies mean people are living shorter lives, with more years spent in poor health, and face greater barriers to staying in and getting on at work. It calls for a new post-pandemic approach to the nation’s health to ensure people can enjoy living healthy lives longer and to improve the nation’s economy. A new cross-party Health and Prosperity Commission is being launched to explore how good health can be the foundation for a fair and prosperous economy.

• Report
• IPPR - press release

Supporting people who provide unpaid care for adults with health or social care needs

Social Care Institute for Excellence - 

This brief guide, aimed at social care practitioners, highlights some of the ways support can be provided to carers. These include offering training and advice, support to remain in work, training or education, and regular breaks. Free registration is required to access this guide.

• Guide

Remote and video consultations: guidance for community pharmacy teams

NHS England and NHS Improvement - 

This practical guide assists community pharmacy teams planning to conduct remote consultations with patients.

• Guide
• More detail

Enablers for success: virtual wards including hospital at home

NHS England and NHS Improvement - 

NHS England and NHS Improvement are asking all integrated care systems (ICSs) to extend or introduce the virtual ward model. This guidance supports ICSs with their strategic and financial decisions on virtual ward planning and implementation. Designed for ICS leadership teams, but will also be helpful for provider organisations as they plan together to implement this model.

• Guidance
• More detail

The public’s experience of monitoring their blood pressure at home

Healthwatch England - 

People with high blood pressure are increasingly being asked to monitor their condition at home. The NHS programme ‘Blood Pressure @Home’ (BP@Home) enables people with high blood pressure to measure and share their blood pressure readings with their GP from home. This report evaluates that programme to see how it is working for patients and how GPs use their readings, and suggests steps the NHS can take to improve support and outcomes for people who monitor their blood pressure from home.

• Report
• Press release