Health Management and Policy Alert

The surgeon as an expert witness: a guide to good practice

Royal College of Surgeons -
This guidance sets out the role a surgeon should play when acting as an expert witness in civil, criminal and coroners’ cases. The guidance comes after two independent reviews highlighted a need to improve the quality and consistency of expert witnesses in gross negligence manslaughter cases.

• Guidance
• Royal College of Surgeons - press release

Caring for doctors, caring for patients

General Medical Council -
This report identifies a need to address the wellbeing of doctors faced with higher workloads, whose own health impacts on patient care. Recommendations include compassionate leadership models giving doctors more say over the culture of their workplaces, adopting minimum standards of food and rest facilities, and standardising rota designs which take account of workload and available staff.

• Report
• General Medical Council - news

Addressing your gender pay gap: a guide for employers

NHS Employers -
NHS Employers and the Health and Care Women Leaders Network have launched a practical guide to support NHS employers with their gender pay gaps. It aims to help employers: report their annual gender pay gap figures; understand how to address the challenges; and develop an action plan to tackle the gap.

• Report
• NHS Employers - news

‘Right to be heard’: the government’s response to the consultation on learning disability and autism training for health and care staff

Department of Health and Social Care - 

This report sets out the government's response to comments about its proposals for mandatory training for health and social care staff so they understand the needs of people with a learning disability and people with autism, and make reasonable adjustments to support them.

• Report
• More detail

The role of the NHS provider chair: a framework for development

NHS Improvement - 

NHS provider chairs were consulted and contributed to the co-creation of the NHS provider chair development framework, which is expected to be widely applied to more effectively and consistently support the recruitment, development and retention of top leadership talent on NHS boards.

• Framework
• More detail

Framework for conducting annual appraisals of NHS provider chairs

NHS Improvement - 

NHS provider chairs were consulted and contributed to the co-creation of this framework for conducting annual appraisal of NHS provider chairs, which is expected to be widely applied to more effectively and consistently support and develop the leaders in these pivotal roles.

• Framework
• More detail

National workforce plan for Approved Mental Health Professionals (AMHPs)

Department of Health and Social Care -
This document is a resource for agencies wishing to develop their AMHP services and aims to explain the role of AMHPs in mental health services to help with recruitment and retention of the role in local areas. It contains a summary of all the current guidance. It is for local authorities, directors of adult and children’s social care, NHS mental health trusts, and integrated care system workforce leads.

• Report
• Department of Health and Social Care - publications

EM-POWER: a practical guide to flexible working and good EM rota design

Royal College of Emergency Medicine - 

This guide is written for emergency medicine clinicians and managers looking to improve the way they manage clinical rotas and improve retention, recruitment, flexible working, and job satisfaction.

• Report

Introduction of nursing associates - year 2: evaluation report

Health Education England - 

This evaluation draws on three online surveys of trainee nursing associates (TNAs), which received 2,477 responses in total and 12 deep-dive enquiries. Line managers were also surveyed in the second year of the programme, with 531 responses received. It also draws on the analysis of key programme data, information from the regular TNA communities of practice events, and economic analysis of the programme and role.

• Report
• More detail

Medical practitioner assurance framework

Independent Healthcare Providers Network (IHPN) - 

Independent healthcare providers have committed to implementing a medical governance framework that will help ensure all independent sector providers in England are able to further improve the care they are giving to their patients. The IHPN, which represents independent healthcare providers delivering both NHS and privately funded care, asked former national NHS National Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh to work with the sector to bring together key principles to strengthen and build upon the medical governance systems already in place. These principles form part of a new Medical Practitioners Assurance Framework.

• Report
• Press release