Contents:

NHS and social care interest
No items this week

NHS interest
1. Appointment of new chief nursing officer
2. A Matron's Charter: an action plan for cleaner hospitals
3. Mandatory CRB checks on all new NHS staff
4. Clinical Excellence Awards 2005

Social care interest
5. Reforming the adult social services complaints procedure - consultation

Further items of interest
6. Get the right treatment (GTRT) campaign 2004/5
7. Performance action teams - supporting improvement in social services
8. MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT - MDA/2004/48

NHS and social care interest
No items this week

NHS interest
1. Appointment of new chief nursing officer (Gateway reference 4027)
Health secretary John Reid has appointed Chris Beasley as England's new chief nursing officer. The announcement comes at the same time as the launch of A Matron's Charter. Chris Beasley began her career in nursing in 1962 at the Royal London Hospital. She has held a wide range of nursing roles in hospitals and the community. Her most recent roles were as the NHS Modernisation Agency's director of partnership development and then interim head of the agency. Read more >

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2. A Matron's Charter: an action plan for cleaner hospitals (Gateway reference 3917)
Cleaner hospitals and lower rates of healthcare-associated infections are top priorities for the NHS. A Matron's Charter, launched 19 October, reinforces the role of teamwork, personal responsibility, and the importance of keeping environments clean. Read the 10 key principles and full action plan >
Also available at www.nhsestates.gov.uk/patient_environment/content/clean_hospitals.html

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3. Mandatory CRB checks on all new NHS staff (Gateway reference 3995)
John Hutton announced on 13 October 2004 that all eligible new recruits into the NHS must undergo checks on their criminal record to ensure patient safety. Early next year, Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) checks will become mandatory for every new recruit with access to patients as part of their normal duties. For further information, contact Adele Bunch, Room 2N35A, Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UE.
Guidance available >

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4. Clinical Excellence Awards 2005 (Gateway reference 4012)
The process and timescales for nominations is strict and must be adhered to. Applications for levels 9, 10 and 11 must be received by the Advisory Committee on Clinical Excellence Awards (ACCEA) secretariat by 23 January 2005. Nominations by national bodies for level 12 awards must be received by 13 February 2005. The ACCEA secretariat will be contacting postgraduate deans and deans of medical and dental schools separately. Full guidance is available at www.advisorybodies.doh.gov.uk/accea

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Social care interest
5. Reforming the adult social services complaints procedure - consultation (Gateway reference 3973)
The Department of Health has launched a consultation on the draft regulatory framework and guidance to underpin a reformed adult social services complaints procedure. Anyone with an interest in improving the complaints procedure is invited to contribute to the consultation, which runs until 10 January 2005.
Read the draft regulations, guidance and covering letter >
Responses or queries to the consultation can be sent to learningfromcomplaints@dh.gsi.gov.uk
The Department for Education and Skills (DfES) is currently consulting on the complaints procedure for children. Information will be available at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations

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Further items of interest

6. Get the right treatment (GTRT) campaign 2004/5 (Gateway reference 3867)
The annual GTRT campaign provides the public with information on using the right NHS services at the right time, enabling faster access and treatment. Staff should be encouraged to utilise the resources during the campaign period (November 2004 - March 2005). Read further information > Contact is GTRTCampaign@doh.gsi.gov.uk

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7. Performance action teams - supporting improvement in social services (Gateway reference 3778)
A review of the lessons learned from the first eight performance action teams, commissioned in 2002/3 to support poor and underperforming social services, is now available and expected to be of interest to all involved in performance management and star ratings. Read more >

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8. MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT - MDA/2004/48 (Gateway reference 4008)
DB Vacutainer® SST™, SST II™, and SST II Advance™ blood collection tubes (glass and plastic)
This Medical Device Alert was issued to NHS trusts on 14 October 2004 for immediate action.
Further information is available at www.mhra.gov.uk

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 - © 2004

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copyright: © | Last updated: 22 October 2004