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Bulletin
for allied health professionals April 2002 Issue 7 IntroductionWelcome to the seventh edition of the AHP bulletin. I hope it continues to be filled with helpful information and contacts. As regular readers will be aware, we held our first national AHP Leadership Conference on 13 March at the London Arena. The conference - Healthcare Leadership in the 21st Century - was aimed at Allied Health Professions (AHP) and Healthcare Scientists (HCS) in senior and middle clinical and managerial roles. Key speakers at the event included David Fillingham, the Secretary of State for Health and Penny Humphris from the NHS Modernisation Agency. Sarah Mullally and myself from the Department of Health were also there, and Olympic rowing gold medallist Ben Hunt-Davis enraptured delegates with his account of how teamwork secured his Olympic victory. It was the first time
a Secretary of State for Health had addressed this group of professionals,
and nearly 500 people heard Alan Milburn make three major announcements
for our professions:
For those of you that could not attend the event, I would encourage you to read the speech from the Secretary of State at http://www.doh.gov.uk/speeches/milburnmarahpconf.htm Finally, please do continue to give us feedback on the bulletin. We continue to get a number of very positive comments from readers about the bulletin, but please continue to help us make these bulletins as helpful to you as possible by telling us what you think of them and how they might be improved. What sort of material would you find helpful? Are there any improvements you'd like to see? Please send you comments and suggestions to Alan.Robson@doh.gsi.gov.uk Avril Imison Contents:STOP PRESS: Historic Budget Announcement Update on Meeting
the Challenge Health and Social
Care interest NHS interest AHP Human Resource
issues General issues STOP PRESS: Historic Budget AnnouncementThe Chancellor announced in his Budget on the 17 April significant extra investment for the NHS. The Budget provides for an average 7.5 per cent real growth in the NHS in England over each of the next five years. As a result, the total NHS budget in the UK will climb from £65.4 billion in 2002-2003 to £105 billion in 2007 - 2008. Following the Budget announcement, the Secretary of State for Health, the Rt. Hon Alan Milburn MP, made a statement in the Houses of Parliament on the 18 April. He published 'Delivering the NHS Plan - next steps on investment, next steps on reform' which outlined how this extra investment would be used to recruit and train thousands of extra staff and treat more patients, as well as to introduce new reforms. Overall, these announcements bring with them tremendous opportunities for the allied health professions and, in the coming weeks and months, I will look to provide you with greater detail on how we can all play our part in these new developments. However, in the meantime, I have looked to highlight the early implications for the allied health professions of the extra investment announced in the Budget. I would however encourage you to read the full text of the document at www.doh.gov.uk/deliveringthenhsplan Key changes include:
The executive summary of the document contains the following very simple chart, which helps explain the changes.
We are already making extremely good progress on the recruitment of the NHS Plan target of 6,500 more AHPs. We will build on this with further staff increases over the period 2001 - 2008. Delivering the NHS Plan states that we will recruit and retain increasing numbers of therapists and scientists using extra investment announced in the Budget. It goes on to say that by 2008 we expect the NHS to have net increases over the September 2001 staff census of at least 30,000 therapists and scientists. The September 2001 baseline is 110,200 and the 2008 target is 140,200. These extra staff will come from a combination of increased outputs from training, improved retention, return to practice, modernising learning and professional development for all staff, as well as some international recruitment. LEARNING AND PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT As part of The NHS Plan, a tremendous investment in the modernisation of education and training across the NHS is already underway. The increases in investment in the NHS over the next five years will enable the completion of the development in education and training required for both existing and new staff, making a reality of lifelong learning and the 'skills escalator' for all NHS staff. Particular developments include:
Health professional students will benefit from the introduction in April 2003 of the new Child Tax Credit. The new credit will provide a single, seamless system of income-related support for families with children and will benefit students by extending eligibility for financial support to these groups which are currently excluded from additional forms of support, other than Child Benefit. Other main headlines which you will want to read further about in the report include: Chapter 2 outlines waiting times initiatives around operations, A&E and primary care and extra investment in services including mental health and older people. Chapter 3 covers in greater depth the plans to increase capacity and expand by at least 10,000 more general and acute beds. Chapter 4 goes into detail about NHS structures and national service frameworks, as well as outlining the plans to allow primary care trusts to purchase care from the most appropriate provider - public, private or voluntary. Chapter 5 outlines the introduction of explicit patient choice - by 2005 all patients and their GPs will be able to book appointments at both a time and place that is convenient to the patient. Chapter 6 explains that as NHS capacity grows organically, we will continue to use private providers where they can genuinely supplement the capacity of the NHS - and provide value for money. Chapter 7 outlines further detail around devolution of power to the frontline. Primary care trusts will hold over 75% of the growing NHS budget, and the first NHS foundation hospitals will be introduced. For those of you involved in older people's care, Chapter 8 outlines the case for a radically different relationship between health and social services. As suggested in the Wanless Report, the Government will legislate to make local authorities responsible for the costs of hospital delayed discharges. This chapter also details matching incentive charges on NHS hospitals to make them responsible for the costs of emergency re-admissions, to ensure patients are not discharged prematurely. Chapter 9 sets out the need for fundamental change in job design and work organisation and details about the new pay system which will allow greater allowances for regional cost of living differences and free local employers to design new jobs breaking down traditional occupational demarcations. The requirement of PCTs to publish prospectuses accounting to their local residents is covered in Chapter 10 as is the introduction of a new independent healthcare regulator/inspectorate covering both the NHS and the private sector with a new chief inspector of healthcare. Update on Meeting the Challenge 1.The Health Professions
Council The purpose of the Council is to protect the public and ensure fitness to practise of members of these professions. It will set professional standards of education and training, practice and conduct, keep a register of those who meet the standards and take remedial action where those standards are not met. It will have power to require registrants to demonstrate their continuing competence. There will now be an initial transitional period of one year until 31 March 2003 when the Council will consult on and draw up their new registration and fitness to practice procedures. When the new registers open in 2003, there will then be a further two year transitional period to permit the new Councils to put into place procedures and practices to allow them to function effectively. From April 2005, the registers will be closed to all but those with approved training who are deemed fit to practise. If you wish to contact the HPC, their address is: Park House, 184 Kennington Park Road, London, SE11 4BU, or at www.hpcuk.org List of Members President Practitioner members Alternate members Lay Members NHS employers Non-NHS employers Lay (users) Health and Social Care interest 2.Diabetes National
Standards Framework The Implementation
Group is consulting specifically on service models, performance indicators
and practice-based registers. Drafts of these can be found with the Diabetes
NSF: Standards on the Diabetes NSF website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/diabetes.
3.One-day workshop
to launch the paper 'The Role of Healthcare Professions within Critical
Care Services' The paper has been produced by the AHP & HCS Advisory Group and sets out the unique and collective value each AHP profession and HCS can offer to the Critical Care Programme and the modernisation of critical care services. The paper includes background on the Critical Care Programme, an overview of each profession and their role within critical care, examples of improving practice and key issues facing each specific profession. It also includes recommendations for the active involvement of AHP & HCS in the modernisation of critical care. The objectives for the day are to:
Attendance is free. To ensure equity of access a number of places have been allocated per profession on a first come first serve basis. For further information and a registration form visit our website at www.modern.nhs.uk/criticalcare and click 'events'. Alternatively email Maxine Jones on maxine.jones@ukf.net or call 07876 230560. Should you have any queries regarding this event, please call Jill Chapman on 0116 222 5119. 4.Information
Strategy for Older People The main aims of the strategy are to:
Professor Ian Philp, National Director, Older Peoples Services, said: "If the NSF and the wider programme to improve older people's health and social care services is to be implemented properly, it is essential that older people and their carers are able to access the information they need quickly and in a way that is familiar to them. Clinicians, health and social care managers and the government will also need to be able to access the information they want to ensure that the programme of delivering high quality services to older people is achieved." Further details of the strategy can be found at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/ipu/strategy/nsf/4.htm 5.Role of Older
People's Regional Taskforces - from Professor Ian Philp, National Director,
Older People's Services At a meeting of regional taskforce chairs in London on 3 January, it was agreed that:
Please feel free to contact private secretary Veronica Monks if you would like further details on 0207 972 4280 or veronica.monks@doh.gsi.gov.uk 6.Joint Investment
Plans (JIPs) for Older People/Intermediate Care Chief executives of the new Strategic Health Authorities (StHAs) will be accountable for delivering national priorities as part of three-year franchise agreements with the Department. Franchise agreements will be underpinned by an annual delivery agreement (ADA). This ADA outlines the actions and investments required to deliver on the commitments outlined in the Planning and Priorities Framework (2002/03), of which the development of intermediate care services is a key deliverable. Taken together, the components of StHA franchise agreements, including the ADA, will form the key instrument of accountability between the NHS and the Department. In the light of these changes, and the commitment by Departmental board to reduce the health and social care planning burden, the NHS will no longer be required to produce either older people's or intermediate care joint investment plans (JIPs). Any local planning of intermediate care services for 2002/03 that has already taken place will feed in to the new planning arrangements. For further information contact Kevyn Austyn, Core Support Older People Services on 020 7972 4829, or kevyn.austen@doh.gsi.gov.uk 7.New Health and
Safety Executive (HSE) Guidance on Manual Handling It is available on
the HSE website at www.hse.gov.uk.
Alternatively, hard copies of the guidance are available at a cost of
£9.50 each by mail order (reference: ISBN No 071762228) from HSE
Books, PO Box 1999, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 2WA. 8.Prescription
Charges: April 2002 Changes
A letter with the details has been sent direct to dispensing doctors, GP practices, pharmacy and appliance contractors. This is also on the Department's website and can be accessed via the reference below. Health Authorities:
Please also make sure that your Walk in Centres are aware of the new prescription charges. NHS Trusts:
Please make sure that all Surgical Appliance Officers, district and community nurses and midwives are aware of the new charges. Pharmacy and Prescriptions
Branch 9.Launch of the
first care trusts: 1 April. These new organisations support the Government's objective of making joint working the norm for all, with a single strategic approach applied across health and social care to the management of the care of individuals. Previous arrangements had allowed for integrated services but not a single organisational model within which to develop them. Care trusts will provide greater opportunities for integrating commissioning and provision, according to local needs. A range of guidance
notes and regional care trust events are planned for the coming months,
with details available on the Department website: www.doh.gov.uk/caretrusts 10.Selection of
Topics for NICE: Consultation Paper
Copies of the consultation paper are available on the DH website: www.doh.gov.uk/nice/consultation2002 Replies should be sent to Peter Burgin at peter.burgin@doh.gsi.gov.uk to arrive by Friday 7 June. 11. Renal Services The four modules currently being planned are:
The ERG and DH renal team are keen for contributions to be made by patients, carers, and the wider health and social care communities. An interactive website has been established at www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/renal.htm. It would be helpful if you could disseminate the website address widely and encourage local participation. If you would like further information, please contact Julie Pearce, Nursing Officer for acute and specialist services at julie.pearce@doh.gsi.gov.uk 12.Dissemination
of MDA Safety Warnings - From 1 April 2002 From 1 April 2002, distribution of MDA Safety Warnings to private and voluntary healthcare providers registered under the Care Standards Act 2000 will be taken over by the National Care Standards Commission, which has undertaken to electronically fax MDA Safety Warnings to all relevant registered premises direct from their headquarters. Distribution to medical device users in primary care will continue to be the responsibility of primary care trusts, to whom MDA already issues Safety Warnings. A note will also be issued directly to MDA liaison officers in health authorities, giving this information and thanking them for the contribution they have made to patient safety through the prompt dissemination of MDA Safety Warnings in the past. Please contact Mike Peel or Lisa Robery at MDA on 0207 972 8349 or 0207 972 8297 if there are any queries regarding these arrangements. 13.National Primary
and Care Trust Development - Providing Organisational Development Support
for Primary Care Trusts The Organisational Competency Framework has been developed by the National Primary and Care Trust Development Team in conjunction with PCT leaders. It sets out a blueprint of core competencies for primary care organisations. The aim of the online resource is to assist primary care trusts in developing the organisational and personal skills to deliver Shifting the Balance of Power modernisation agenda. The framework can
be viewed online at www.natpact.nhs.uk AHP Human Resource issues 14.Implementation
of Nurses and PAMS pay awards covered by the Review Body in 2002/2003
Advance Letter PAM (PTA) 1/2002 gives details of the pay for 2002/03 for PAMs and related grades of staff. A letter dated 26th February gives details about the Cost of Living supplements payable for qualified nurses, health visitors and PAMs working in London and designated parts of the South of England for 2002/03. Employers have been asked to ensure that the new pay scales detailed in the above ALs (including Cost of Living Supplements) are implemented quickly to allow staff to receive their increased salaries in April. 15.Modernisation
of the NHS Pay System Intensive support for implementation will be given through the Modernisation Agency and appointments are being made at present to the team. Carole Smith (formerly of West Midlands Regional Office) has been appointed as Organisation Development and Training Manager. Gillian Rose has been appointed as Project Manager for the Implementation of the Knowledge and Skills Framework. Further appointments will be made to the Best Practice Team (to support early implementation sites) in the near future. In addition, we are pleased that Clive Warbrick, Director of HR for Leicestershire and Rutland NHS Trust, will be joining the team on a short-term secondment from the end of March. Clive will be leading on communication and plans for early implementation. It is likely that the selection process for early implementers will formally commence in May, with the sites being chosen in "shadow" form before the end of the summer, prior to an agreement being reached. Formal approval will not be given until the agreement has been consulted upon and funding agreed. Further information on the criteria for selecting early implementers and the process will be available in the near future. General issues 16. Keeping up
to date The home page of all the current and future National Service Frameworks can be found at http://www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/
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