WALES NEWS
Primary care clinical governance reports published
The Primary Care Quality and Information Service (PCQIS) has published feedback reports for each of the seven health boards in Wales on their usage of the Clinical Governance Practice Self-Assessment Toolkit. In 2008/9, 85% of GP practices in Wales engaged with the tool and 40% submitted responses. The toolkit encourages general practices to assess their governance systems in order to facilitate the delivery of safe and effective clinical practice.
All Wales policy and procedures for vulnerable adults
The All Wales Policy and Procedures for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults is out for consultation. It will replace the four regional policies.
Have your say on hospital food
The Wales Audit Office is inviting anyone who has been a patient, or cares for someone who has been a hospital patient, within the last two years, to give their views on what they think about the hospital food they received during their stay. Visit the Wales Audit Office website to complete the form.
£1.3m plan to reduce hepatitis in Wales
A total of £1.3m of Assembly funding has been allocated to tackle blood borne hepatitis. The aim is to identify people at risk of blood borne viral hepatitis and prevent further transmission of the virus and, to improve care for people living with hepatitis B and C.
£2.3m for improvements to Bryn Y Neuadd Hospital
The Assembly has announced funding of £2.3m to modernise Bryn y Neuadd Hospital, Llanfairfechan, Gwynedd. The funding will enable the upgrade of the electrical infrastructure and the gas boilers. The investment is in addition to £2.1m funding last year to develop a unit to provide continuing care for people with learning disabilities.
Award for North Wales CAMHS
The North Wales Adolescent Unit in Abergele has won the 2009 Constructing Excellence in Wales award for Health and Safety.
£1.9m to improve care for thalidomide survivors in Wales
£1.9million has been made available for the Thalidomide Trust to improve the care and support for thalidomide survivors in Wales.
All advanced nurses in Wales will require masters degree
All advanced nurse practitioners in Wales will be required to have a masters degree, according to the Assembly Government. The Welsh health department is also developing placements where nurses can experience working in different areas of the NHS.
Unannounced cleanliness spot check on Cardiff and Vale University Health Board published
The report of an unannounced cleanliness spot check undertaken by Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) to Llandough Hospital has been published. Some staff in the areas visited had not received infection control training within the last 12 months and there was a tendency for staff to over rely on the use of gloves.
Profiles of lifestyle and health in Wales
Profiles of lifestyle and health have been produced by the Public Health Wales Observatory as part of a series following the demography profile released in June 2009. It aims to assist the health boards in understanding the health of their population and in their planning activities, as well as provide a resource on lifestyle for other stakeholders.
Wales Audit Office is asking members of the public what it should audit
The Wales Audit Office is asking members of the public for the first time what topics they think it should be looking into over the next few years.
UK NEWS
Report into Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust
Robert Francis QC has published his inquiry report into Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
Self care reduces costs and improves health: the evidence
This Expert Patients Programme report reviews existing literature on self-management of care, as well as using research through questionnaires, focus groups and interviews, to provide examples of how economically beneficial it could be for the NHS.
Productive ward evaluation
This study by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement tells the story of the Productive Ward to date and assesses its impact on the NHS.
Implementing high quality care for all
This University of Birmingham paper, written in conjunction with the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement, sets out how the NHS can learn from high performing health organisations in the delivery of quality. Key messages include an integrated approach, quality as the business strategy, and stable leadership which is dispersed throughout the organisation.
Management practices in the NHS
This CEP briefing describes a survey of clinicians and hospital managers to explore how well NHS hospitals are managed.
NHS quality strongly linked to increases in managers
The HSJ has found that increases in the number of non-senior managers in trusts rated excellent for service quality are higher than those with weak scores. HSJ's findings show that from 2004-08, the number of senior managers grew by an average of 6% and all other managers by 5% in trusts rated weak in the last annual health check, compared with 24% and 46% in those rated excellent.
NHS failure to implement patient safety alerts
This Action Against Medical Accidents research investigates NHS bodies' failure to implement patient safety alerts issued by the National Patient Safety Agency. The report is based on a Freedom of Information request made to the Department of Health, which manages the central alert system.
Clinical governance and adult safeguarding
The Report on the consultation on the review of No Secrets highlighted that adult safeguarding systems were underdeveloped. Respondents argued that there is a need to clarify the links between adult safeguarding, adverse incident reporting, patient safety, and complaints. The guidance and flow chart have been developed to help establish local robust adult safeguarding arrangements.
How the experience of staff impacts on the patient experience
This Aston Business School report links the results of the 2007 acute inpatient and staff surveys using a series of statistical analyses intended to highlight the most important relationships between the two surveys. For example, patient perceptions of the respect shown towards them are correlated to employee's feelings of work pressure and staffing levels.
NHS Job Evaluation Handbook
Produced by the NHS Staff Council Job Evaluation Group, this is the comprehensive guide on job evaluation for organisations, including resolving issues on blocked matching and evaluating jobs, weighting and scoring, band ranges and how to use job profiles.
GMC opens consultation on doctor revalidation
It has been widely reported that doctors will have to be tested on their performance and undergo annual appraisals under plans to overhaul medical regulation being put out to consultation. Under the scheme, licences to practise as a doctor will be issued by the General Medical Council every five years based on annual appraisals of doctors' skills and knowledge.
Directors of nursing still neglecting frontline care
The Nursing Times has reported that the new chief nurse at Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust has warned that some nursing directors are still shirking responsibility for front line care. Her comments come after over 500 nurses responded to a Nursing Times survey expressing concern that the failures seen at Stafford Hospital can also be found in their area.
The Productive Ward: releasing time to care
The Productive Ward: releasing time to care is a ward-based quality improvement programme that aims to increase the proportion of time nurses spend in direct patient care, improve experience for staff and patients and to make structural changes to the use of ward spaces. This King's College London review of the programme's impact and learning considers the evidence for whether the promise of the programme is being fulfilled.
Ward sisters should get more power
The Times has reported that the role of ward sister must be returned to a visible position of hospital authority as part of an overhaul of nursing and midwifery according to the Prime Minister's Commission on the Future of Nursing and Midwifery in England. This report states that nurses must be "placed centre-stage" in the NHS to address the needs of the growing elderly population and those with chronic conditions.
Major trauma care in England
According to a National Audit Office report there is unacceptable variation in major trauma care in England depending upon where and when people are treated. It finds that care for patients who have suffered major trauma has not significantly improved in the last 20 years despite numerous reports identifying poor practice.
Nutrition action plan delivery board progress report
This is the final report to Ministers from the Nutrition Action Plan Delivery Board, which was established in January 2008 to oversee implementation of the Nutrition Action Plan. The Government's response is also available.
Dementia news
This Alzheimer's Research Trust report finds that the impact of dementia on the UK's society and economy is higher than ever. It also shows that dementia research remains underfunded compared to other conditions like cancer and heart disease. This is me is a simple and practical tool from the DH that carers can give to staff when a person with dementia goes into hospital. The government should allocate more resources to dementia according to an International Longevity Centre report.
Services for people with rheumatoid arthritis
This Public Accounts Committee report assesses the Department of Health's performance on identifying and diagnosing cases of rheumatoid arthritis; providing better support for people living with the disease; and how the NHS can work more effectively to improve services for people with rheumatoid arthritis.
Six years on: the Diabetes NSF
The Diabetes National Service Framework (NSF) set out the first ever set of national standards for the treatment and care of people with diabetes. This DH report reviews the development and delivery of diabetes services and identifies the progress made over the past six years towards meeting the NSF.
Autism personalisation briefing
This SCIE briefing examines the implications of the personalisation agenda for people with autistic spectrum conditions.
Strategy for COPD services in England
The Department of Health has published documents and a response database to consult on this draft of the strategy.
Progress in improving stroke care
The Department of Health's strategy for stroke care has increased the priority and awareness of the condition and started to improve patients' care and outcomes, a National Audit Office report concludes.
The cost of cancer
The annual bill for cancer in England is £18bn according to figures that take into account healthcare costs, costs to patients and families and losses in productivity. This Policy Exchange report finds that these costs are set to increase to £24bn over the next ten years.
Giving children a healthy start
This Audit Commission report assesses the local implementation of national policy from 1999 to 2009 on the health of children from birth to five years of age in England.
Mental health services for young people in residential settings
Access to child and adolescent mental health services is inconsistent for young people in care, with provisions varying from good to none at all, according to this Ofsted report. It highlights the barriers for young people in accessing mental health provision as well as good practice.
Mental health inequalities: measuring what counts
This paper is based on a seminar organised jointly by Sainsbury Centre and the Department of Health in 2009. It argues that public services do not routinely collect data on mental health inequalities and that the information they do collect is not used to its full potential. It also calls for better information to be collected and used to measure inequalities in mental health and the life chances of people with mental health problems.
Improving access to psychological therapy
This report details the next steps in the move towards the full roll out of Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services. The guidance provides support for established and developing services, focusing on quality standards and analysing the progress that has been made in rolling out services to date.
Mindspace: influencing behaviour through public policy
This report explores how behaviour change theory can help meet current policy challenges, such as how to reduce crime, tackle obesity, or ensure environmental sustainability. The aim of the report is to help policy makers understand the effects their policies may be having and so get better outcomes for the public and society.
Guidance for access to health records requests
This Department of Health document provides guidance on access to health records for both living and deceased individuals.
AND FINALLY
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Terry Dennis
Healthcare Alliances
Britannia House, 11 High Street, Cowbridge, CF71 7AD
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