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Bulletin
for allied health professionals
This is the first bulletin to be distributed following my appointment as chief health professions officer and head of the Allied Health Professions branch at the Department of Health. It is also the first chance I have had to introduce the new senior policy manager in the branch, Mike Cummins, who has taken over from Alan Robson who has moved to Leeds to work on elective care and booking strategy. Mike has extensive departmental experience covering a range of different services so brings a wealth of expertise to the team. Averil Imison has joined the Access and Choice Directorate and is involved in project work in Orthopaedics. I want to feel that we can get to every AHP in the service but I also want everyone to feel that this is our information so we would welcome feedback, tips, new ideas and local developments to help us create a ‘must read’ monthly bulletin. Kay East Contents:
Allied Health Professions Branch update We are advertising for two full-time Health Professions Advisors. These are new posts. You can find out more about them from the text of the adverts which appear as a separate item in this bulletin. The structure of the branch is being debated as we need to consider what arrangements need to be put in place when the contracts of our seconded part-time advisors come to an end at the end of November. It is essential that we have access to professional advice from all the AHP specialities and we are currently exploring the structures that we need in place to deliver the appropriate professional advice. We will make sure that further details of the proposals are identified in the bulletin. Allied health professions advisor posts The following advertisement is due to appear in the Guardian and in the Health Service Journal on 6 and 7 November respectively
The application pack will include further details of these posts and an application form. Receiving the bulletin All editions of every bulletin (ie the AHP bulletin, the Chief Executives, the CNO etc) are available on the Department of Health website at www.doh.gov.uk/publications/bulletins.htm Anyone wishing to receive the AHP bulletin by e-mail can do so by e-mailing certain details to DH-Test-Emails@doh.gsi.gov.uk Clicking on the link above will give you access to an already addressed email and you should then write in details of your name, organisation, full postal address (including postcode), phone and fax numbers and e-mail address before sending it. The all-important e-mail address can be your personal one at work or home (or both), or the address of a manager or a group of people at work - whichever is most convenient. If you do not have easy access to an electronic copy of the bulletin, paper copies can be obtained by phoning the NHS response line on 08701 555 455. Content of the bulletin The content of the bulletin will be restricted to matters which relate directly to the organisation and delivery of AHP services and matters which will be of direct interest to AHP staff. Developments in the NHS generally, and more specifically in the medical and nursing fields, are set out in the Chief Executive's, Chief Medical Officer's, and Chief Nursing Officer's bulletins which are available on the DH website at www.doh.gov.uk/publications/bulletins.htm Web site We intend to develop a "corner" of the Department of Health website specifically devoted to AHP matters. Further details will be in future bulletins. Workshop on proposals for Prescribing and Supply of Medicines The Department of Health and the Medicines Control Agency have had to concentrate their efforts to date on the introduction of independent nurse prescribing, and plans to introduce supplementary prescribing for nurses and pharmacists. Subject to Ministers’ decisions, supplementary prescribing will be introduced early in 2003. We are now ready to turn our attention to allied health professions and optometrists building on the primary legislation detailed in the Health and Social Care Act 2001 which provides the base to enable prescribing by other health professionals. The main purpose of the workshop is to try to identify how, where and to what extent patients and the NHS will benefit if other health professionals are able to supply or prescribe medicines. The workshop will provide an opportunity for Department of Health representatives to explain the processes involved. The professions which make up the Allied Health Professions Forum have been invited to send representatives to the workshop which will be held in early December. AHP key roles In the NHS Plan the chief nursing officer identified "10 key roles for nurses" (p84) which has raised the profile of several key areas in nursing and for nursing practice. In order to raise the profile of AHP’s within the NHS we want to develop a similar outline of key roles for AHPs. The roles would need to be genuinely "key", or central to the practice of allied health professions, though not necessarily widely developed or implemented at present. It would be helpful to have any suggestions, which you can email to robin.miles@doh.gsi.gov.uk To start the ball rolling, and to give an idea of what we have in mind, the following are some suggestions:
In November there will be a new publication titled Developing new roles for nurses and midwives – a manager's guide which will present 17 case studies of CNO’s ‘10 key roles for nurses’ in practice. It will also provide advice on the legal, professional and liability issues involved in implementing these roles, as well as contact numbers for copies of protocols, training programmes, audit tools and other materials developed in case study sites. The text will available on the DH website at www.doh.gov.uk/newrolesfornurses It would be good for the professions to build on this work and produce similar guidance to rais awareness of the work of AHP’s. There is further information on particular aspects of new roles for AHPs and nurses on the DH website from November. This has been produced as part of the joint Cabinet Office/Department of Health project Reducing Burdens in Hospitals published in July 2002. The project aims to find practical solutions to remove or reduce bureaucratic burdens on front line staff in the NHS. This has challenged existing ways of working and aims to facilitate the development of new roles and working techniques which include nurses administering medicines intravenously, and AHPs requesting tests and investigations. The text describes the legal and professional requirements for these activities, and highlights case studies where these roles are already in place. It can be accessed (in Portable Document Format) at www.doh.gov.uk/cno/ahpsxrays.pdf New Horizons - A development programme for allied health professions and healthcare scientists This will be a week long development and networking programme for senior allied health professionals and healthcare scientists who are aspiring to further their career to executive director level or other senior strategic positions. Two programmes have been arranged for 60 professionals on the following dates
Further details are being advertised in Health Service Journal or Therapy Weekly Magazine, alternatively you can contact maxine.nelson@doh.gsi.gov.uk Confidentiality Consultation From 22 October 2002 to 31 January 31 2003, a major consultation will be carried out on a patient confidentiality management system for the NHS. The consultation targets those who deliver, support, research, regulate and receive NHS healthcare services. The aim is to canvas the widest range of opinion to ensure that the outcome works for all concerned. This consultation is being undertaken on behalf of the National Implementation Programme by the Confidentiality Work stream led by head of stakeholder relations at the NHSIA Dr. Anthony Nolan. Everyone will be affected by the outcome. The consultation proposes new ways for staff to work as well as new tools, processes and technology to support them in sharing patient information. We urge you to take part and to ensure that we receive responses from as many perspectives as possible. Organisations and individuals can participate online, through workshops, and through the post. After the consultation, two months will be spent analysing the results and amending the proposals as necessary after which results will be published. For further information or a consultation pack online visit www.nhsia.nhs.uk/confidentiality or call the information hotline on 08453 660066 for a pre-printed or CD ROM consultation pack. Toolkit for producing patient information Information is an important part of the patient journey. The NHS Plan commitment to putting patients at the centre of care lays some firm foundations for giving patients more power, protection and choices. The Kennedy Report into the Bristol Inquiry also emphasises the need for a greater partnership between patients and professionals and making consent more patient-centred. The Department of Health recognises the efforts organisations are making to improve patient information and has developed a toolkit to help them. This toolkit consists of guidance for written patient information and a series of templates to accompany the guidance. It has been put together with the Patient Information Forum, a national group representing people working in the field of patient information in the NHS and the voluntary sector, the Royal National Institute for the Blind and the Plain English Campaign. The toolkit is available on the NHS identity website at www.doh.gov.uk/nhsidentity and is called Toolkit for producing patient information. Hard copies can be obtained from the NHS Response line on 0870 155 5455 quoting reference number 29682. Prison Health transferred to Department of Health It has been agreed that funding responsibility for prison health services in England will be transferred from the Home Office to the Department of Health. This responsibility will take effect from April 2003. This is the first step in a process over the next 5 years which will see prison health become part of the NHS. Primary care trusts will then become responsible for the commissioning of health services to prisoners in their areas. The Prison Service funding currently used to provide health care for prisoners will be transferred to the Department of Health. In addition, the Department of Health will, over the next three years, allocate further resources to improve these services, rising to around an extra £46 million a year by 2005/06. Briefing information including Q&As have been sent to Prison Service area managers and governors and to directors of health and social care. This can be downloaded at www.doh.gov.uk/prisonhealth/events.htm. Review of research assessment An invitation to contribute to the joint funding bodies' review of research assessment has been issued by the Higher Education Funding Council for England and is available from the HEFCE website at http://www.hefce.ac.uk/research/RAReview/invit.htm
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