Health Management and Policy Alert

NHS Pension Scheme: increased flexibility

Department of Health and Social Care -
The Department of Health and Social Care is consulting on a new set of proposals to offer senior clinicians more control over their pensions growth, so they can continue to provide the services that patients need. Senior NHS clinicians are concerned that pension tax charges are making them retire early or change their working habits. The new proposals include: a ‘flexible accrual’ option where members can choose an accrual level in ten per cent increments; and the option to ‘fine tune’ pension growth towards the end of the scheme year, when total earnings are clearer.

• Department of Health and Social Care - consultations

Public health apprenticeships: community-centred roles

Public Health England -
This consultation aims to: better understand and articulate the duties and capabilities of people in community-centred roles; determine how these workers are currently being trained and developed to discharge these duties; and establish the extent of employer need and commitment to an apprenticeship standard at level 3 for this workforce. The closing date for comments is 1 November 2019.

• Public Health England - consultation

Whistleblowing disclosures report 2019: healthcare professional regulators

Nursing & Midwifery Council -
This whistleblowing disclosures report, written jointly with other health care professional regulators, aims to show how disclosures are handled, action taken about these issues, and to improve collaboration across the health sector. As each regulator has different statutory responsibilities and operating models, a list of actions has been devised that can accurately describe the handling of disclosures in each organisation.

• Report
• Nursing & Midwifery Council - news

Strengthening health systems through nursing: evidence from 14 European countries

European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies - 

This book explores the variations in structure and organization of the nursing workforce across the different countries of Europe. As health systems shift radically in response to rising demand, the role of nurses becomes even more important. The book is part of a two-volume study on the contributions that nurses make to strengthening health systems. The aim is to raise the profile of nursing within health policy and draw the attention of decision-makers.

• Book
• More detail

Integrated volunteering approaches in STP/ICS Programme

NHS England - 

These documents provide details about the Integrated Volunteering Approaches in Sustainability and Transformation Partnerships (STP)/Integrated Care Systems (ICS) Programme 2019, including an expression of interest form.

Documents

Welcome! An induction guide for social prescribing link workers in primary care networks

NHS England - 

The welcome pack includes useful information to help link workers in primary care networks find out more about their role and what support is available.

• Guide
• More detail

Duty of care? The impact on midwives of NHS charging for maternity care

Maternity Action - 

This is the first study to investigate the impact of the policy of charging ‘overseas visitors’ for NHS care on midwives’ practice or professional responsibilities. This study aimed to explore midwives’ experience of looking after women who had been charged, especially in relation to the impact of NHS charging on their professional practice.

• Report
• More detail

Elevation, registration & standardisation: the professionalisation of social care workers

All-Party Parliamentary Group on Social Care - 

This report, based on a six-month inquiry, calls for the professionalisation of social care workers. The inquiry gathered evidence from care workers, employers and sector organisations and charities. It found these vial roles are undervalued and under invested in which impacts on the ability to attract and retain people to work in the sector.

• Report
• APPG Social Care website

GP and dental clinical educator pay scales: 2019 to 2020

Department of Health and Social Care -
This guidance contains information for employers on the revised GP and dental clinical educators pay rates.

• Guidance

Pension tax guidance for employers

NHS Employers - 

In August 2019, the government announced that it will act to introduce pension changes to enable senior clinicians to take on additional clinical activities without incurring unexpected pension tax bills. This guidance has been prepared to help employers to support staff who are likely to be affected by these pension tax issues.

• Guidance
• More detail