Health Management and Policy Alert

Making vaccination a condition of deployment in older adult care homes

Department of Health and Social Care -
To increase vaccine take up among staff working in care homes, the government is considering amending the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This would mean older adult care home providers could only use those staff who have received the Covid-19 vaccination (or those with a legitimate medical exemption) in line with government guidance. The deadline for responding to the consultation is 21 May 2021.

• Consultation
• Department of Health and Social Care - consultations

Covid-19 return to work in the roadmap out of lockdown

Society of Occupational Medicine - 

These guidelines, published in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, are aimed at workers, employers and health practitioners to increase understanding of the risks of returning to work and the appropriate work-related control measures that could be implemented. Presenting a simple, stepwise approach, the document outlines the multiple factors needed to be considered in the Covid-19 return to work assessment.

• Guidelines
• More detail

Recover, reward, renew: a post-pandemic plan for the healthcare workforce

Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) -
An IPPR/YouGov poll finds that as many as one in four health care workers – equivalent to 330,000 staff - say they are more likely to leave the NHS due to a year of unprecedented pressure. This report argues that this is a direct result of pandemic pressures, on top of a decade of austerity.

• Report
• IPPR - press release

Regulating healthcare professionals, protecting the public

Department of Health and Social Care - 

The DHSC is seeking views on proposals to reform the regulation of health care professionals. The consultation also seeks views on the proposed approach to introducing statutory regulation of physician associates and anaesthesia associates. The consultation closes on 16 June 2021.

• Consultation

Rest, recover, restore: getting UK health services back on track

British Medical Association - 

This report states that the Covid-19 pandemic has left the health service running on empty, with staff burnt out, disillusioned, and even considering leaving the NHS as a result of the intense pressures and stress of the past year. It sets out a series of recommendations to UK governments to ensure that services resume safely for both staff and patients.

• Report
• Press release

National Education and Training Survey 2020

Health Education England (HEE) - 
This survey gathers opinions from students about their time in clinical placements, asking them to provide feedback on what worked well and what they think could be improved. The results offer universities, colleges, healthcare placement providers and Health Education England further insight into the quality of the clinical learning environment. This year, as students may be undertaking clinical placements during pandemic surges, the survey provides an additional opportunity to understand their experience and any impact on the quality of training. Results of the survey are now available below by region and by profession

• Survey results

The UK nursing labour market review 2020

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) - 
This report examines the shape, size and state of the nursing labour market, analysing trends in the employment and training of nursing staff across the UK economy.

• Report

The Royal College – our professional home: an independent review on diversity and inclusion for the Royal College of Surgeons of England

Royal College of Surgeons of England -
This report sets out a sixteen-point plan for improving diversity within surgery and Royal College of Surgeons of England. It follows an independent review of diversity in the College’s professional leadership conducted by Baroness Helena Kennedy QC. The report highlights some of the College’s strengths in fostering a diverse surgical community, including the Women in Surgery Network and the Lady Estelle Wolfson Emerging Leaders Fellowship. However, it also includes personal accounts of the discrimination surgeons face in their day-to-day practice and interactions with the College.

• Report
• Royal College of Surgeons of England - news

NHS staff survey 2020

NHS England -
This resource presents results from an annual survey to collect staff views and experiences about working in their NHS organisation.

• Survey
• NHS England - publications

The impact of the challenges to the social care sector in 2020

Hft -
This report offers an annual snapshot of the financial health of the social care sector as well as outlining the impact of some of the key challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic. For the third year running, the most commonly cited cost pressure was rising wage bills, with lack of fee income at a close second. It finds that 62 per cent of providers reported a rise in absenteeism related to mental health conditions and that all social care providers funded some form of mental health support for their workforce.

• Report
• Hft - publications