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The documents in this bulletin are Crown copyright but may be reproduced by NHS and Council staff without formal permission or charge for personal or in-house use - ©2002

Contents:

NHS and Social Care interest

1. National public health leadership programme 2002 - London and West Midlands
2. Proposed cannabis reclassification
3. Commission for Health Improvement Investigation: Portsmouth Healthcare NHS trust at Gosport War Memorial Hospital
4. Safety notice - MDA SN2002(21) Oxford Major, Maxi and Midi patient hoists fitted with Oxford Digital Weighscales: risk of spreader bar detachment

NHS interest
5. National survey of NHS Cancer patients 1999/2000
6. Extending choice for patients - heart surgery pilot monitoring and information requirements
7. National programme budget project
8. PCT professional executive committee (PEC) chairs - development opportunities from NatPaCT
9. The strategic executive information system (STEIS)
10. Back in Work Campaign
11. NHS chief executive members of the appraisal committee
12. Department of Health discussion paper - Action to strengthen the microbiology function in the prevention and control of infectious diseases
13. Developing & modernising primary care in prisons

Social Care interest
14. Raising the profile for housing and care for older people
15. Delayed Discharges - Health Select Committee Inquiry
16. Guidance on management of complex child abuse investigations
17. Publication of statistics on outcome indicators for looked-after children, for the twelve months to 30 September 2001
18. Information for Social Care: Demonstrator Projects

NHS / Social Care interest

1. National public health leadership programme 2002 - London and West Midlands

Two programmes, which have been running for four years, offer development opportunities for leaders within the public sector. The two programmes have different approaches and are tailored to different needs. However, both year-long, multi-disciplinary and cross-sectoral programmes support NHS Plan priorities and use self-directed learning with support from peer learning sets. Participants from both programmes will be from a range of professional backgrounds.

Application forms and further details on both programmes can be obtained from Granville Sansom, programme administrator: email gs@gsansom.demon.co.uk. Deadline for submissions is the end of July.

On 10 July the home secretary announced that he would be seeking a change to the classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act. It is proposed that cannabis should become a Class C drug. This change will not legalise or decriminalise cannabis.

A new cannabis factsheet has been produced for professionals who work with young people and in the drugs field, to highlight the impact that the change in the law will have. There is also a new resource that has been produced to highlight the changes to young people. This material can be download from the cross-government drugs website www.drugs.gov.uk. Printed versions of are available through the NHS Responseline - 08701 555 455.

DH contact Phil Mythen at: phil.mythen@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Ref. Factsheet 28488, credit card 28470

CHI has completed a report of a special investigation into hospital services for elderly patients at a trust in Portsmouth. The report makes important recommendations about care of the elderly and can be found at: http://www.chi.nhs.uk/eng/organisations/south_east/gosport/index.shtml

This safety notice was issued on 2 July 2002 to NHS trusts, primary care trusts, chief executives, social services directors and National Care Standards Commission headquarters. As usual it was also issued to liaison officers of trusts, primary care and health authorities, social services and National Care Standards Commission headquarters for action and for onward distribution as specified in the notice.

For further information on the role and nomination of liaison officers e-mail the MDA at:
bs@medical-devices.gov.uk
http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk

5. National survey of NHS Cancer patients 1999/2000

The national survey of NHS cancer patients was published earlier this week. More than 65,000 cancer patients from 172 NHS trusts in England completed and returned questionnaires. The vast majority of these patients were discharged between July 1999 and June 2000, and therefore received treatment before the publication of the NHS Cancer Plan in September 2000. The patients had one of six types of cancer: breast, colorectal, prostate, ovarian, lung or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

The survey included around 100 questions covering a range of topics relating to patients' experience of care including

• access to care (e.g. waiting times)
• information about diagnosis, first treatment and discharge
• trust and confidence in clinicians
• treatment for pain during hospital admission
• the hospital environment (e.g. privacy, food, cleanliness).

The report provides a benchmark from which the implementation of the Cancer Plan can be measured and provides information which trusts and local Cancer Networks can draw from when making plans for the development of cancer services.

All trust chief executives will be receiving hard copies of the National Overview and their relevant Cancer Network reports for local distribution.

All reports and tables are available on at www.doh.gov.uk/nhspatients/cancersurvey/index.htm

DH contact Alice Holmes at: alice.holmes@doh.gsi.gov.uk

A note summarising the monitoring arrangements and information systems to support the Choice initiative for heart surgery has been posted on the DH website at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/extendingchoice

These arrangements are based on around operating the scheme at local level. However, the initiative is also a national pilot for the introduction of patient choice, so the arrangements also enable assessment of the scheme.

The monitoring arrangements - some already in place - cover

• activity and waiting
• clinical outcomes
• take-up of choice
• patient experience.

For further information on this note, please contact ken.cooper@doh.gsi.gov.uk.

Copy of letter

DH contact Sharon Cannaby at sharon.cannaby@doh.gsi.gov.uk

The role and performance of PEC chairs is an essential element of a PCT's ability to take forward its challenging agenda. The National Primary and Care Trust Development Programme (NatPaCT), in conjunction with the Leadership Centre, have recognised that professional executive committee chairs must have access to support and development programmes.

Steve Feast, lead PEC chair for NatPaCT, and other PEC chairs from NatPaCT's area teams are keen to involve PEC chairs in:

• PEC chair development events - based on a tested model but tailored to address local interests
• Leadership workshops
• Establishing new networks

They are also keen to connect with existing PEC networks, whether formal or informal.

Click here to download the letter to all PCT PEC chairs. http://www.natpact.nhs.uk/downloads/PEC_Chairs_110702.pdf

The Strategic Executive Information System (STEIS) has been available for all NHS organisations to use since April 2002. The system covers Secondary Care Access, SITREPs and Adverse Incidents. Following feedback from the NHS, the system is being expanded so that from Monday 6 July the Secondary Care Access element will cover all data items currently collected on a weekly basis around the country. From July 2002 the use of STEIS as the single means of sharing weekly management information will be mandatory.

Letter

On 1 July health minister John Hutton launched the NHS wide 'Back in Work' campaign aimed at reducing pack pain and musculo skeletal injuries in NHS staff. A 'Back Pack' of advice, posters, and other useful literature is being sent to all HR Directors in the next couple of weeks.

Further copies are available from the dedicated website - www.nhs.uk/backinwork

DH contact details are Julian Topping Tel: 0113 254 5756

The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is recruiting chief executive members to its independent advisory Appraisal Committee.

The Appraisal Committee interprets evidence on the clinical and cost effectiveness of health technologies (pharmaceuticals, medical devices, surgical procedures, diagnostic procedures an health promotion interventions) and makes recommendations to NICE on the use of this technology in the National Health Service in England and Wales.

We are looking for an SHA chief executive, a PCT/LHG chief executive and a hospital trust chief executive who can join the committee in October 2002 (earlier if possible). You must have the experience and commitment to help NICE make some of the most difficult decisions in public life, and in doing so contribute to improving the quality and consistency of care provided by the NHS. You will be applying your own experience and judgement to the topics considered by the committee, rather than acting as a representative of a particular organisation.

A description of the contribution expected from committee members is attached. Because of the way in which the Appraisal Committee operates, you must have access to and be comfortable working with email. If you are interested in joining the committee please send a short CV. (no more than four sides) and a covering letter, setting out your interest in the role and what you would bring to it, to NICE chief executive Andrew Dillon at: erin.mill@nice.org.uk by 2 August. Andrew Dillon is happy to receive enquiries about the role on 020 7766 9172.

An information pack can be downloadeded from the Institute's web site at: www.nice.org.uk.

In Getting ahead of the curve - A strategy for infectious diseases (including other aspects of health protection), published on 10 January 2002, the Department of Health gave a commitment to high quality diagnostic microbiology services for the NHS that contribute to the protection of the public health in England. In addition, and as part of the strategy, DH has decided to transfer to the NHS the Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) which provides general clinical microbiology services.

The department now seeks views on this transfer process, and has published a discussion paper Action to Strengthen the Microbiology Function in the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases inviting responses. The paper sets out a way forward, taking account of input from providers, users, and professional bodies involved in microbiology services.

It will be of interest to chief executives, directors of public health, microbiologists, emergency planning officers, and other public health professionals. The paper can be viewed at http://www.doh.gov.uk/cmo/idstrategy/index.htm

Any comments should be received by 5 August 2002. Responses can be e-mailed to labs@doh.gsi.gov.uk or sent to Roger Evans, Health Protection Agency Implementation Team, 5th Floor, Hannibal House, London. SE1 6TE, tel: 020 7972 2380

The Prison Health Policy Unit & Task Force is publishing Developing & Modernising Primary care in Prisons this month. The document will provide a framework for developing and modernising primary care in prisons, and will set primary care services for prisoners in the context of the wider NHS primary care development agenda.

The guidance offers practical advice and support about how changes and benefits can be achieved over the next 2-3 years. It does not endorse one particular model for service delivery but highlights the key principles and characteristics of a good primary care service.

The strategy for primary care in prisons is to increase integration with primary care planning and development through the local primary care trust.

DH contact Beverley Anderson at beverley.anderson@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Ref. 28459

Guidance

14. Raising the profile for housing and care for older people

Health Minister Jacqui Smith visited a seminar at Wolverhampton's Bushfield Court, one of a new generation of innovative extra-care housing schemes for older people.

The seminar was organised to share the Government's agenda to improve health, social care and housing for older people and to look specifically at the role of housing.

The main aim of the seminar was to consider how to encourage the spread of such innovative schemes across the country.

Extra-care housing should be seen as part of a range of health, social care, and housing solutions to meet the needs of older people. While bearing in mind the strategic and whole systems context, the focus of the seminar looked at the role of extra care housing and how the NHS, social care, and housing should work together to develop this in partnership.

More information about older people's services from http://www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/olderpeople.htm

Department of Health contacts crispin.acton@doh.gsi.gov.uk and catherine.alexander@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Jacqui Smith appeared before the Health Select Committee as part of its inquiry into delayed discharges. This is the final public session of the inquiry before the committee prepares its report on this subject, probably before the July recess, and followed on from an earlier session with officials which took place on 13 February.

If you are interested in seeing an uncorrected transcript of the session, please E-Mail Emma Preece in the Joint Unit. emma.preece@doh.gov.gsi.uk Please note, however, that in accordance with the committee's wishes, no public use of the text should be made, nor should it be quoted.]

Cross-Charging Bill

In Delivering the NHS Plan the Government announced its intention to introduce a system of cross-charging similar to those used in Scandinavian countries. When these reforms were introduced in Scandinavia they had a major impact on reducing the extent of delayed discharge for older people and expanding the volume and range of care available in the community.

The intention is that, once a patient is ready to be discharged from hospital and their onward care is the responsibility of social services, social services should take on responsibility from that point. Where things are working well, the person will then be discharged with the minimum of delay. However where social services are unable to provide the onward care in the community, they will be charged for the care which the person is receiving in hospital. These costs will be higher than the equivalent cost of providing community care and so will act as an incentive for social services to invest in an extended range of services outside hospital.

Ministers are still considering the detail of how such a system will work and will be consulting on these fully over the summer.

For more information on the cross-charging system contact Emma Preece in the Joint Unit. emma.preece@doh.gov.gsi.uk. The consultation paper will be available on the joint unit website at www.doh.gov.uk/jointunit/delayeddischarge/index.htm.

Joint Home Office and Department of Health guidance for agencies involved in the strategic management of complex child abuse investigations has been published.

Responding to Lost in Care, the Waterhouse Inquiry Report into the abuse of children in the North Wales care system during the 1970s and 1980s, the guidance is aimed at the police and social services. It focuses on the specific issues highlighted in the Lost In Care Report such as access to records and information-sharing and it provides practical advice on inter-agency issues such as setting up and closing an investigation, victim and witness support.

The guidance has been developed by an inter-agency working group, chaired by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), which drew together the experience of a number of police forces, local authorities and voluntary organisations which have been closely involved in undertaking complex child abuse investigations. It builds on the key principles for investigating organised or multiple abuse set out in the Government's child protection guidance Working Together to Safeguard Children, published in 1999.

Lost In Care can be found at http://www.doh.gov.uk/lostincare/index.htm

Department of Health contact charmaine.church@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Printed copies of this publication were distributed to directors of social services and to children's statistical contacts in social services departments on Thursday 11 July 2002. The statistical tables and commentary are available at www.doh.gov.uk/public/oi2001.htm under the heading 'social care'.

Publication of these figures was delayed while we awaited comparable figures to become available for all children on educational outcomes and activity at the end of school year 11. These figures have been provided by DfES and the Connexions Service and have been incorporated into the Outcome Indicators publication.

The OC2 statistical return, from which these figures are derived, will not change in layout or content for the twelve-month period ending 30 September 2002. Slightly revised and updated OC2 guidance notes are due to be issued within the next three weeks and will be available at www.doh.gov.uk/stats/forms.htm

Contact: Marcus Carlton, DH Statistics Division 3A, 3451C Skipton House, 80 London Rd London SE1 6LH. Tel 020 7972 3801, fax 020 7972 5662.

Another 12 demonstrator projects have been announced to target aspects of information management for local councils to improve the quality of social care. Part of the Information for Social Care initiative, the projects will start shortly to deliver results by March 2003.

The Department received 55 project proposals and 12 projects were selected. Those chosen will focus on the electronic social care record, process mapping, information sharing, NHSNet and connectivity.

This is the second year of demonstrator projects. Outputs from the six projects which ran during 2001-02 have been finalised and cover the input of assessments on portable media, information sharing, a community health and social care website, a social care risk model, management tools and service delivery.

For details of the demonstrator programme and individual projects, see the Department of Health's web site at www.doh.gov.uk/scg/infsoc/ifscdemonstrator.htm

Contact info.sc@doh.gsi.gov.uk if you require any further informatin.

The documents in this bulletin are Crown copyright but may be reproduced by NHS and Local Authority staff without formal permission or charge for personal or in-house use - ©2002

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copyright: © | Last updated: 12 August, 2002