Health Management and Policy Alert

Getting the best out of the new world of remote and digital general practice

Nuffield Trust - 
The Remote by Default research collaboration, conducted by a team of academics and funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, asks whether remote consultations should really be the default option. This briefing investigates when remote consultations are safe and what they mean for different patient groups trying to get treatment as well as for doctors and their colleagues. It summarises key findings, and actions required from government and the NHS.

• Briefing
• Nuffield Trust - publications

Investigation report: nutrition management of acutely unwell patients in acute medical units

Health Services Safety Investigations Body -
The purpose of this investigation was to support improvements in the identification of malnutrition and management of nutritional needs for patients within acute medical units (AMUs). AMUs are the first point of entry for patients referred to hospital as an acute medical emergency by their GP and those requiring admission from the emergency department. The investigation uses, as an example, a real patient safety incident in which a man’s nutritional needs were not met for 19 days stay in hospital, of which 13 days were in AMU resulting in him losing up to 26% of his body weight within a six-week period.

• Report
• Health Services Safety Investigations Body - publications

Assessing the well-led key question for NHS trusts

Care Quality Commission -
This guidance outlines how the Care Quality Commission will assess the well-led key question to support NHS trusts to understand what good leadership looks like.

• Guidance
• Care Quality Commission - news

Balancing the risks and benefits of AI in the production of health information

Patient Information Forum -
Developed in collaboration with PIF’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) working group, this position statement aims to help people understand the AI landscape and how to manage it. It defines what AI is, the risks and benefits of AI, a glossary of terms and makes a case for developing AI use policies.

• Position statement
• Patient Information Forum - publications

Statistical analysis of recorded deaths in custody between 2017 and 2021

Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) - 

This statistical analysis of deaths in custody which finds that people in state detention are at a significantly increased risk of death compared with the general population, with the rates of deaths in prisons and Mental Health Act (MHA) detention particularly high. The analysis assesses and presents deaths in custody through the calculation of population rates. The report looks at deaths from all causes, including self-inflicted deaths, which took place in prisons, police custody, immigration detention, and under the MHA between 2017 and 2021.

• Report
• Press release

Are UK health systems dementia ready? Comparing dementia policy across the four nations of the UK

Future Health - 

This report highlights the growing challenge of diagnosing people with dementia in the UK. By 2040 the number of dementia cases is set to rise to 1.5 million as the population ages. The research, sponsored by Lilly, finds that if there is no progress in improving diagnosis rates then over half a million people with dementia will be undiagnosed by 2040, nearly a quarter of a million more than today. Currently an estimated 850,000 people have dementia in the UK, with 315,000 people undiagnosed. The report finds that current dementia diagnosis rates across the UK vary significantly. Without a diagnosis, dementia patients are unable to access the care and support they need, and will not be able to benefit from the potential arrival of new treatments.

• Report
• Press release

Psychological therapies for severe mental health problems: implementation guidance 2024

NHS England - 

This guidance is for NHS-commissioned mental health provider organisations, integrated care boards (ICBs), regional NHS England offices and chief psychological professions officers in mental health trusts. It aims to support mental health providers to deliver the NHS long term plan objective to increase access to psychological therapies for people with severe mental health problems, as part of a wider transformation of adult and older adult community mental health services.

• Guidance
• More detail

Professional nurse educator toolkit for mental health services

NHS England - 

This toolkit offers advice on how providers of mental health services can effectively implement the professional nurse educator (PNE) role within their mental health services. The PNE is an innovative clinical mental health nursing role which supports the facilitation of a learning environment, embedding a learning culture and works as an addition to and not instead of other roles.

• Toolkit
• More detail

Culture of care standards for mental health inpatient services

NHS England - 

This co-produced guidance sets out the culture of care everyone, including people who use services, families, carers and staff, want to experience in mental health inpatient settings, and supports providers to realise this. The standards apply to all NHS-funded mental health inpatient service types, including those for people with a learning disability and autistic people, as well as specialised mental health inpatient services such as mother and baby units, secure services, and children and young people’s mental health inpatient services.

• Guidance
• More detail

 

When a doctor leaves: tackling the cost of attrition in the UK’s health services

British Medical Association - 

This report sets out the reasons why retaining doctors needs to be an urgent priority for UK governments, health services and employers. Drawing on new analysis, the report sets out the high cost of medical attrition in the UK’s health services and a series of urgent measures to better retain the workforce.

• Report
• Press release