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Contents:

NHS and social care interest

1. Adopter preparation and assessment and the operation of adoption panels: a fundamental review
2. Home Improvement Agencies (HIAs) consultation
3. Overview and scrutiny of health regulations consultation
4. Launch of Preventing Accidental Injury - Priorities for Action
5. Positively Diverse training
6. Urban summit 2002
7. Launch of the Emergency Care Collaborative
8. See & Treat events
9. Boost for social work education and training
10. Upstart! Magazine
11. Implementing the National Service Framework for Older People tour - conference

NHS interest

12. Contacts information required urgently for Department of Health database - FOR ACTION
13. New pages on the Department's website for the NHS complaints procedure
14. Research into practice summary reports
15. NHS Leadership Qualities Framework
16. National guidance on the safe administration of intrathecal chemotherapy: ensuring compliance
17. Guidance on the management of CFS/ME
18. Models of Emergency Care conference

Social care interest

19. Reporting of social services statistical data to the Department of Health: 2002/03 and 2003/04

NHS / social care interest

1. Adopter preparation and assessment and the operation of adoption panels: a fundamental review

On 8 October, the Department of Health published for consultation Adopter Preparation and Assessment and the Operation of Adoption Panels: A Fundamental Review.

This is part of a whole system review of adoption, stemming from the white paper Adoption: a new approach, which has already led to the development of new adoption legislation, new national adoption standards and a new national adoption register. The consultation exercise on the outcome of the review is a key stage in helping the Department get adopter preparation and assessment and the operation of adoption panels right.

While the review has considered current practice carefully, it has found that the real challenge lies in mainstreaming current best practice in adopter preparation and assessment and adoption panel operation, and in working to establish more consistent practice between adoption agencies.

The consultation document will principally be of interest to the social care audience, but there are specific points on which NHS colleagues may wish to express views. For example there is discussion in the document about the role of medical advisers to adoption panels and the role of GPs in identifying health risk factors, which may affect a prospective adopter's ability to care for a child. Comments should be submitted by Friday 17 January 2003.

The consultation document, a consultation feedback form and details about how to respond are available at www.doh.gov.uk/adoption/adopterpreppanels.htm

For further information contact Marie Ogley on 0207 972 4928 or marie.ogley@doh.gsi.gov.uk

For the attention of all social services authorities, PCTs and councils with housing and social service responsibilities.

The Department of Health and the office of the Deputy Prime Minister have issued a consultation paper to review HIAs. The paper:

• reaffirms the importance of the role that HIAs have as service providers within the Supporting People framework
• sets out the further contribution that HIAs have to offer to the delivery of housing and health and renewal objectives
• proposes structural and organisational reforms where these are necessary to improve the cost-effectiveness of services and pave the way for national coverage
• proposes a continuing role for the national co-ordinating body subject to review following two years' experience of operation within the Supporting People framework.

Responses should be sent by 31 December 2002 to:

Consultation document: http://www.housing.odpm.gov.uk/information/consult/hia/index.htm

John Flower, Housing Private Sector Division, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Zone 2/J10 Eland House, Bressenden Place, London. SW1E 5DU. E-mail: hia@odpm.gsi.gov.uk

Copies of the paper are available from The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, PO Box 236, Wetherby, West Yorkshire. LS23 7NB. Tel: 0870 1226 236, fax: 0870 1226 237, textphone: 0870 1207 405, e-mail: odpm@twoten.press.net

Visit the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister website at www.odpm.gov.uk

DH contact: Catherine Alexander on 020 7972 4058 or catherine.alexander@doh.gsi.gov.uk

A web-based consultation on the draft regulations addressing overview and scrutiny of health by local authorities began on 7 October 2002. It aims to offer clarity about the primary and secondary legislation that provides local authority overview and scrutiny committees with the power to scrutinise health services. It also clarifies the duties placed upon the NHS.

The consultation period is from 7 October until 18 November 2002.

The consultation document is available at www.doh.gov.uk/oscregconsultation/index.htm

Responses may be e-mailed to the Department of Health at mbhealthscrutiny@doh.gsi.gov.uk, faxed to 020 7210 4902 or sent to Overview and scrutiny of health listening exercise, Department of Health, Room 608 Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London. SW1A 2NS

For further information contact Brenda Cook on 020 7210 5995 or brenda.cook@doh.gsi.gov.uk

This report to the chief medical officer by a cross-government task force will be launched on 11 October by health minister Hazel Blears, with the support of ministers responsible for road safety, fire prevention, home safety, health & safety at work, and sports safety.

Effective injury prevention is many-sided. In its advisory report, the task force shows where efforts could best be focussed in future, giving them maximum impact through better planning, co-ordination, and leadership. It recommends best practice, and offers a framework for delivering a real contribution to the healthy and active lives of children and older people.

Preventing Accidental Injury - Priorities for Action can be found at www.doh.gov.uk/accidents

Copies can be purchased from the Stationery Office, ISBN 0 11 322477 X

For further information contact Gordon Brown on 020 7972 1376 or Gordon.Brown@doh.gsi.gov.uk

In response to continued demand, the Department of Health will deliver a second wave of training in the Positively Diverse methodology, beginning in November and running though to March 2003.

Positively Diverse provides a mechanism for NHS organisations to assess how well they are meeting their requirement to ensure that NHS staff are treated fairly and equitably, regardless of their background. It also provides practical guidance on how to address the diverse needs of the local community by ensuring that the workforce understands, supports and reflects those needs. Positively Diverse directly supports NHS organisations in achieving the Improving Working Lives Standard.

Each training programme comprises four separate full-day sessions in three locations covering the North, Midlands and South, as follows:

Venues are being finalised.

The training is provided free-of-charge. Places are limited and allocated on a first-come-first-served basis.

If you have previously applied for first wave training and have been placed on the reserve list you will be contacted shortly and offered a place on the second wave.

Otherwise, if you are interested in joining the second wave, a registration form can be obtained from Brian Collier at Connect Associates on bcoll@compuserve.com or fax 01423 322857.

For further information visit www.positivelydiverse.org.uk

The Government's Urban Summit, hosted by deputy prime minister John Prescott will be taking place in Birmingham on 31October and 1 November. The summit is a milestone event, taking stock of progress on improving our towns and cities and providing the opportunity for a wide range of people to share their experiences of urban regeneration and outline priorities for the future.

In recognition of the links between urban life, public health and health inequalities, the summit will feature a Cities for Health session that will explore the relationship between urban living and health, particularly in deprived areas. Health minister Hazel Blears will give the keynote speech. The negative impacts of urban life on health and Government action tackling these problems will be explored through the medium of drama performed by professional actors. Participants will be invited to take part in a discussion with a guest panel.

Many other themes at the summit will be of interest to a health audience including, Neighbourhood Renewal, Liveable Communities and Accessible Towns and Cities.

The office of the deputy prime minister is organising the summit and has invited a number of health organisations. There are a small number of places left, and it would be encouraging if further health organisations were to attend.

Further information and registration details can be found at: www.urban.odpm.gov.uk/whitepaper/summit/index.htm

The first wave of the new Emergency Care Collaborative was launched on 8 October by health minister David Lammy and national clinical director for emergency access Professor Sir George Alberti. The launch was accompanied by a series of case studies on improving emergency care.

Run by the NHS Modernisation Agency, the collaborative is a national programme for reducing delays and improving the patient and carer experience. It will focus on the whole system of emergency care and will help all A&E departments in England to meet the NHS Plan target - a maximum of four hours from a patient's arrival to admission, transfer or discharge.

The goal is for local teams to make improvements in their organisations by looking at how they work, learning from others and making changes that benefit patients. Organisations will work together to exchange best practice and find out what systems work best. The focus of the collaborative is on the whole system of emergency care across the local health and social care community rather than on individual departments. Therefore, there will be participation from relevant departments in acute trusts, the ambulance service, social services, primary care, NHS Direct and others.

The programme will run until August 2004 in six waves of roughly 35 sites each. Each wave will last 14 months. Some will overlap so that every site can complete its work and contribute to meeting the NHS Plan target by the end of 2004.

For further information visit www.modern.nhs.uk/emergency or contact Ben Gowland on 020 7972 1138 or ben.gowland@doh.gsi.gov.uk

See & Treat is a system of streaming services in A&E departments that can have a profound impact on waiting times for patients.

A number of national workshops have been planned and will provide an opportunity to find out more about See & Treat and to hear the first-hand experiences of those who have implemented it. The workshops will:

• introduce the concept of See & Treat
• present practical examples from sites that have implemented different versions of See & Treat
• allow teams to explore the implementation of See & Treat in their department
• provide an opportunity for questions, concerns and queries to be raised and answered.

The events are open to all A&E departments in England and have been specifically designed for A&E consultants, senior nurses and operational managers.

The dates are:

• October 28, London
• November 12, Leeds
• November 19, Birmingham
• November 21, Manchester
• November 26, Bristol
• November 28, London

Further details and a booking form for the events can be found at www.modern.nhs.uk/emergency or contact Ben Gowland on 020 7972 1138 or ben.gowland@doh.gsi.gov.uk

A raft of developments and new funding initiatives continue to support the implementation of the new social work degree from September 2003.

As part of the reform of social work education and training health minister Jacqui Smith has announced:

• the introduction of a bursary for social work students - worth an average £3,000 per annum plus tuition fees
• £400,000 investment to ensure service users and carers are involved in the development, design and delivery of the new social work degree.

Other developments include:

• a practice learning taskforce led by president of the association of directors of social services Michael Leadbetter
• removal of the inflexibilities placed on funding practice learning to enable placements outside social care to be funded
• appointment of JM Consulting to review practice learning funding mechanisms by January 2002
• workshops and seminars in the New Year
• development of e-learning opportunities
• development of inter-professional learning.

For further information on these developments see www.doh.gov.uk/swqualification/index.htm or contact Beshlie Squires on 020 7972 4092 or beshlie.squires@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Readers may have missed this item which appeared in bulletin 137 as it was mistakenly placed under the 'social care interest' heading when in fact it is relevant to both an NHS and social care audience. We are therefore including the entry a second time and apologise for any confusion.

Upstart! highlights news and evidence of best practice within Sure Start programmes, featuring methods that programmes can draw upon, and acts as a focal point for the Sure Start community.

It is aimed at all those involved in Sure Start, including those working directly with families in Sure Start programmes, partner organisations and those involved in an administrative capacity.

Upstart! is published every two months by the Sure Start Unit and edited by The National Early Years Network.

Copies can be obtained from DfES Publications, Tel: 0845 602 2260 Fax: 0845 603 3360 E-mail: dfes@prolog.uk.com

The Department of Health's national director for older people's services Professor Ian Philp and national director for primary care David Colin-Thome are visiting all 28 strategic health authority areas to see what progress is being made towards implementing the National Service Framework (NSF) for Older People.

The visit to the Northumberland and Tyne and Wear strategic health authority in Gateshead and Sunderland on 4 October 2002 was number six on the programme. David Colin-Thome and Ian Philp visited innovative projects in the area before giving presentations at a workshop involving a cross section of about 50 older people's champions, NHS chief executives, chairs and executive and non-executive directors. To read a summary of the presentation visit www.doh.gov.uk/conferences/nsfolderpeopletour.htm

NHS interest

12. Contacts information required urgently for Department of Health database - FOR ACTION

We are expanding the Department of Health external contacts database to include all members of boards for care trusts, NHS trusts, primary care trusts, special health authorities, strategic health authorities & Workforce Development Confederations in England.

Please arrange for someone to complete all sections of the form attached to the email for each executive director and non executive director for your organisation and return the details to us as soon as possible. Completed forms should be returned to icdb3@doh.gsi.gov.uk.

We are also collecting contact information for directors of computer services and directors of information services for care trusts, NHS trusts, primary care trusts & strategic health authorities.

Please arrange for someone to complete all sections of the form attached to the email for each director of computer services and director of information services for your organisation and return the details to us as soon as possible. Completed forms should be returned to icdb2@doh.gsi.gov.uk.

Details of the above contacts will be added to a database held by Department of Health. This database serves our purposes only, and in compliance with data protection will only be held for as long as it is necessary and/or relevant to this purpose.

Many thanks in anticipation of a quick and thorough response.

Please contact Raj Mohindra on 020 7972 5705 if you have any queries about any of the above.

The pages are still under development and so some of the information, e.g. on the guidance page, is incomplete, but will be finished in the near future. The key information is on the legislation page, which includes new and amended directions to ensure that the correct legal framework for the complaints procedure is in place following the Shifting the Balance of Power reforms.

Please ensure that all complaints managers and convenors are made aware of these new pages. They can be found at www.doh.gov.uk/complaints/index.htm

For further information contact Adrian Landon on 0113 254 5679, or adrian.landon@doh.gsi.gov.uk

The Research into Practice Team at the NHS Modernisation Agency has produced the first two summary reports of a series highlighting their work into the spread and sustainability of new practice in the NHS.

The research team was established in 2001 to capture learning from the Cancer Services Collaborative and the National Booking Programme. They will shortly be engaging in case study research at sites around the country as part of the second stage of their work.

The reports currently available are:

• Summary Report No. 1 (July 2002) From scepticism to support - what are the influencing factors?
• Summary Report No. 2 (September 2002) Sustainability and Spread in the National Booking Programme

The next report, focusing on the Cancer Services Collaborative, will be available in October.

Chief executives are encouraged to share this information with modernisation leads in their own organisations.

The reports can be found at www.modern.nhs.uk/redesign

For further information and printed copies contact Chris Elliott on 0116 222 5134 or christine.elliott@npat.nhs.uk

FAO chief executives, chairs, non-executives and HR directors.

On 8 October the NHS Leadership Centre launched the NHS Leadership Qualities Framework. This sets out the qualities to which all leaders in the NHS should aspire. The qualities include a range of social, cognitive and performance skills, clustered into three categories: personal qualities, setting direction and delivering services.

A 360-degree assessment tool has been derived from the framework, which can be used to support development for both individuals and organisations. The NHS Leadership Centre is working closely with the Directorates of Health and Social Care to support implementation and development of good practice. This work will initially take place at early implementation sites. Workshops and training in accreditation of use of the assessment tool will be available both nationally and locally.

The framework is available at www.nhsleadershipqualities.nhs.uk. A limited number of launch packs are available by calling 020 7725 2609.

If you would like to become an early implementation site, please contact your DHSC lead or the Leadership Centre:

• DHSC North Talib Yaseen 01925 704224 talib.yaseen@doh.gsi.gov.uk
• DHSC South Anne Rainsberry 020 7725 2797 anne.rainsberry@doh.gsi.gov.uk
• DHSC London Sandra.Hatton 020 7725 5534 sandra.hatton@doh.gsi.gov.uk
• DHSC Midland & East to be advised via the NHS Leadership Centre
• NH Leadership Centre Catherine Guelbert or Heather Corlett on 020 7725 2609

16. National guidance on the safe administration of intrathecal chemotherapy: ensuring compliance

National guidance on the safe administration of intrathecal chemotherapy [HSC 2001/022] was issued on 6 November 2001. All NHS trusts were expected to fully implement the guidance by 31 December 2001 and the Government set a target to reduce the number of patients dying or being paralysed by maladministered spinal injections to zero by the end of 2001.

Patients must be fully protected against errors in administering intrathecal chemotherapy. Chief executives of NHS trusts should ensure that their trusts remain compliant with this guidance.

An exercise will be undertaken shortly to review compliance and chief executives of strategic health authorities and NHS trusts will be contacted about this.

For further information contact Cheryl Cavanagh on 020 7972 1312 or cheryl.cavanagh@doh.gsi.gov.uk.

The Independent Working Group's report on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis was published in January 2002. The Department is currently developing its strategy on how to take the working group's recommendations forward.

Pending decisions on this, Action for ME, a leading voluntary organisation active in this field, has produced a useful eight-page summary, Guidance on the management of CFS/ME.

Hard copies can be obtained from: Action for ME, PO Box 1302, Wells, Somerset. BA5 1YE. Tel: 01749 670799, fax: 01749 67256, e-mail admin@afme.org.uk

The conference focused on progress being made towards reforming and modernising emergency care, with key speeches from David Lammy MP, Dr Stephen Shortt and Dr David Dawson. To read the speech summaries visit www.doh.gov.uk/conferences/mod-emerg-care-con.htm

Social care interest

19. Reporting of social services statistical data to the Department of Health: 2002/03 and 2003/04

• Statistical returns for 2002/03
  The list of statistical returns which will need to be completed on social services provision during 2002-03 will be sent to local authority Information contacts and made available on the DH internet at http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/barker1.htm.

The main change is asking for information on unaccompanied asylum seekers in a number of the children's returns and clarification of the definitions/guidance. The triennial return on the number of registered blind and partially sighted people (SSDA 902) will be collected for 2002/03. The majority of returns are due by the end of May 2003. Copies of the returns and guidance will be available as soon as possible and no later than March 2003. All data should now be submitted electronically either using the internet data collection (IDC) facility, spreadsheets or disk.

• Preserved rights care home residents and implications for 2002/03 returns
  The change in status of preserved rights care home residents from April 2002 will affect returns made in 2003. A letter sent to councils in February 2002 set out how preserved rights care home residents should be recorded in a range of statistical collections for 2002/03. A copy of this letter can be found at http://www.doh.gov.uk/lettertolasfebruary2002.htm. Further details are also included in appendix 1 where details of changes to collections are specified.



• Review of statistics on adults and older people: the RAP return
  The Department is conducting a review of the information requirements for its central statistical collections on services for adults and older people. It is likely that, as a result of this review, there will be significant reductions in the level of detail on one of the key returns in this area, the Referrals, Assessments and Packages of Care (RAP) with immediate effect. We will be making a formal announcement about this in November, covering RAP for this year (2002/03) and next year (2003/04).

New or changed returns for 2003-4:

• Practice learning for social work
  Following consultation it has been agreed that information on the number of planned and actual assessed social work placement days directly provided or supported by local authorities will be collected for use in developing possible performance indicators to cover this activity. Information collected on the annual staffing return (SSDS001) on the number of qualified social workers will also be used for these indicators. More information is given in a letter available at http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/p-learningletter.htm



• Children Looked After (SSDA 903 return)
  As agreed at the February technical working group the looked after sample will be increased to 100 per cent from 2003-04. The change will be announced in a forthcoming letter to local authorities in appendix 1 at http://www.doh.gov.uk/public/barker1.htm.

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