Health Management and Policy Alert

NHS long term workforce plan

NHS England -
This plan sets out how the NHS will address existing vacancies and meet the challenges of a growing and ageing population by recruiting and retaining hundreds of thousands more staff over 15 years and working in new ways. It also sets out long term workforce projections. It aims to reduce reliance on expensive agency spend that could cut the bill for taxpayers by around £10 billion between 2030/31 and 2036/37. It was commissioned and accepted by the Government, which has backed the plan with over £2.4 billion to fund additional education and training places over five years on top of existing funding commitments.

• Workforce plan
• NHS England - news

Updates to NICE’s health technology processes manual

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) -
This consultation covers two overarching changes: incorporating NICE’s proportionate approach to technology appraisals into the manual; and a revised approach to updating technology appraisal recommendations for Covid-19 medicines. The consultation closes on 25 July 2023.

• Consultation
• NICE - news

 

Oliver McGowan draft code of practice

Department of Health and Social Care -
This consultation considers the draft code and if it gives CQC registered providers the guidance needed to meet the legislative requirement to ensure all staff receive learning disability and autism training appropriate to their role. The consultation closes on 19 September 2023.

• Consultation
• Department of Health and Social Care - consultations

Rapid review into data on mental health inpatient settings: final report and recommendations

Department of Health and Social Care -
The rapid review into data on mental health inpatient settings was commissioned by ministers to produce recommendations to improve the way data and information is used in relation to patient safety in mental health inpatient care settings and pathways, including for people with a learning disability and autistic people. This report contains the findings of the review, including a set of recommendations for improvements in the way local and national data is gathered and used to monitor and improve patient safety in mental health inpatient pathways.

• Report
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

A vision for the future of primary care

National Voices - 
Through insights gathered within a coalition of health and care charities, this report identifies nine proposals for the reform of primary care which could make a difference for people living with health conditions and disability, and in particular people from groups that experience health inequalities, whilst also supporting the primary care workforce.

• Report
• National Voices - publications

Visiting in care homes, hospitals and hospices

Department of Health and Social Care -
This consultation seeks views on visiting in health and care settings to inform decisions around making visiting rules mandatory for the good of service users. The aim is to ensure that visiting (including accompanying people to hospital appointments) is protected and that it remains a priority for health and care providers so that patients and residents can receive visitors whenever it is reasonable and safe. The closing date for comments is 16 August 2023.

• Consultation
• Department of Health and Social Care - consultations

A shift to multidisciplinary teams in general practice: what this means for people experiencing health inequalities and frequent users of primary care services

National Voices -
This report makes recommendations on how to improve experiences of multidisciplinary teams within general practice amongst populations who experience health inequalities and frequent users of primary care services. In particular, it highlights how primary care teams can build trust and assure people that general practice has oversight of their care.

• Report
• National Voices - publications

Accessible and inclusive communication within primary care: what matters to people with diverse communication needs

National Voices - 
This report sets out the key issues faced by people with specific communication needs within primary care and what they feel would make the biggest difference. It also outlines some key actions primary care leaders and teams can take to support inclusive communication.

• Report
• National Voices - publications

All is not well: sickness absence in the NHS in England

Nuffield Trust -
According to this report, the NHS in England is facing a new normal of sickness absence in hospitals and community services having seen a 29 per cent jump in the most recent calendar year compared with the year before the pandemic (an average of 5.6 per cent in 2022 vs 4.3 per cent in 2019), equating to an average of 17,000 additional staff off sick each day. It also finds that the levels of sickness absence is not equal around the country and that ambulance services have seen a particular spike with three ambulance trusts seeing one in ten staff off sick on average every day in 2022.

• Briefing
• Nuffield Trust - press release

Longer hospital stays and fewer admissions

The Health Foundation -
This analysis shows that 800,000 (12 per cent) fewer patients in England were admitted to hospital in 2022 than in 2019, while at the same time the average length of time patients spent in hospital increased. It suggests that because hospitals are at the limits of their capacity and length of stay has increased, hospitals have had to increase admission thresholds, in effect rationing care by admitting fewer patients.

• Report
• The Health Foundation - press release