On 23 January 2002 Hazel Blears launched a web based consultation exercise on the Government's intentions for local authority overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) to represent democratically views on the quality, performance and development of health services to local NHS bodies. The consultation document builds on the proposals first set out in the NHS Plan.
The consultation period will be from 23 January until 16 April 2002. The consultation document is available to read or download at www.doh.gov.uk/healthscrutinyconsultation. For those few organisations that do not have access to the internet, one hard copy of the document will be made available on request by ringing: 0207 210 5055.
We would welcome your comments on the proposals for the new arrangements outlined in the document, your suggestions as to how to improve them together with any general points you may want to make. You may e-mail the Department of Health on mailto:MBHealthScrutinyConsultation@doh.gsi.gov.uk, fax them to 020 7210 4902 or if you want to write to us with your comments please send them to:
MB Health Scrutiny Consultation, Department of Health, Room 608 Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS
Ref. 26492. See text for availability of hard copy.
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2. Draft Children's Rights Director Regulations
Draft Children's Rights Director Regulations were issued last week for public consultation. The regulations will establish the scope of the Children's Rights Director's role and responsibilities.
The Children's Rights Director will be based within the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC). The post-holder, Roger Morgan, will have a national overview of the rights of children receiving services regulated by the NCSC. The role of the Children's Rights Director will range across all the different constituencies of children receiving services regulated under the Care Standards Act (CSA) 2000.
The consultation document is available on www.doh.gov.uk/childrensrightsdirectorconsultation
The consultation period will last for three months, to give enough time for interested parties to read and comment on the proposed draft regulations. Responses should be returned to the Department of Health by Thursday, 11 April 2002.
Ref. LASSL(2002)2 26476, Consultation Document 26510. Hard copies available.
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3. Clinical Governance for Prison Health - Getting Started
"Clinical governance for prison health-getting started" is a document which sets out some of the key features of clinical governance, and also offers some practical guidelines on getting started or making further progress. The document will be sent to all Governing Governors and Prison Health Care centres the week beginning the 14th of January 2002.
Many prisons are already at different stages in planning activity, and there is much routine work already undertaken that fits in with the clinical governance agenda. The aim of the document is to offer advice and suggestions that we hope will be helpful to colleagues at all stages of the process, but particularly to encourage and support those starting out. We have included some good practice examples, and we intend to publish more examples on a regular basis and would welcome any that you would like to share with us.
An electronic copy of the document is available on the Department of Health Prison Health Policy Unit & Task Force website at www.doh.gov.uk/prisonhealth/dohclinicalgov.pdf
Ref. 26459. Hard copies available.
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4. Transition Arrangements for Police Checks
Please note applications to the local police force for police checks on staff should cease after 22 February 2002. The Association of Chief Officers has advised us that any applications posted after this date will be returned. The Criminal Records Bureau will be going live on 1 March and will be processing police checks from registered bodies from this date. It is therefore sensible to wait until 1 March and apply for a check with the CRB. The CRB aims to respond to requests for standard disclosures in 1 week and for enhanced disclosures in 3 weeks.
Please contact Lucy Ashall at mailto:lucy.ashall@doh.gsi.gov.uk with any queries.
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5. A Report of the CFS/ME Working Group
The independent Working Group established to promote better understanding of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) published its report on 11 January. The report will help improve diagnosis, treatment and care for patients with CFS/ME.
The Department supports the Working Group view that CFS/ME is a debilitating and distressing condition affecting many people. The causes of CFS/ME are not fully understood and further research is needed. The Working Group report is a sound basis from which to start to make improvements in the care and treatment of people with CFS/ME.
The report, and the Government Response, is available on the Chief Medical Officer's website. The address is www.doh.gov.uk/cmo/cfsmereport. Hard copies of the report can be ordered from Room G25, Wellington House, 135 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8UG.
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6. Amendment: Guidance for General Practitioners - Medical Examinations and Medical Recommendations Under the Mental Health Act 1983
Notice of the publication of the above guidance was given in Issue 74: 6 - 12 July edition of this Bulletin. It has since come to light that the last sentence of the paragraph headed payment and claiming fees is inaccurate. It should read:
'With effect from 1 July 2001, the fees are £62.05 for Section 12 approved doctors, and £47.20 for other registered medical practitioners excluding travel expenses.'
The Department apologises for any confusion this may have caused.
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7. Weather & Health
The Health Forecast Unit (HFU) at the Met Office is in partnership with the Department of Health and currently provides a forecasting service for participants in this winter's pilot. Dr William Bird is predicting workload associated with demands in the health service through regional infectious disease reports, workload reports and workload forecasts. The information is supplied on a secure website and is regularly updated (as detailed below). Although still in pilot stage this winter, the project has grown in success. And we are able to provide regional level forecasts to all trusts. Next winter the forecast will be supplied nation wide and to postcode level.
The weather is updated daily, the workload report and workload forecast updated twice weekly, (by midday Monday and Thursday), and the infectious disease report is updated every Thursday.
Details: nww.doh.nhsweb.nhs.uk/capacityplanning/forecast.htm
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8. MEDICAL DEVICES AGENCY - Safety Notices
SAFETY NOTICE - MDA SN2002(01) Medical Devices - Reporting Adverse Incidents and Disseminating Safety Warnings
This safety notice was issued on 15 January 20002 to NHS Trusts, Primary Care Trusts, Health Authorities Chief Executives and Social Services Directors. As usual it was also issued to Liaison Officers of Trusts, Primary Care, Health Authorities and Social Services for action and for onward distribution as specified in the notice.
SAFETY NOTICE - MDA SN2002(02) Dry heat (Hot Air) Sterilizers
This safety notice was issued on 16 January 2002 to NHS Trusts, Primary Care Trusts, Health Authorities Chief Executives and Social Services Directors. As usual it was also issued to Liaison Officers of Trusts, Primary Care, Health Authorities and Social Services for action and for onward distribution as specified in the notice.
For further information on the role and nomination of Liaison Officers e-mail us at:
mailto:bs@medical-devices.gov.uk
The Safety Notices can be found at http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk
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NHS interest
9. Human Rights Information Service
The Secretary of State for Health has authorised the issue of directions, effective from 23 January, allowing the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) to develop an information service on the Human Rights Act 1998 for Health Authorities, Special Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts.
The Human Rights Information Service is expected to be operational later in the spring. The Information Service is not a substitute for legal advice. It will provide general & thematic information compiled from a comprehensive database of human rights cases and issues. Advice will be available on request on access to expert human rights legal services in individual circumstances.
More information will be available from the NHSLA in due course. For further enquiries please contact David Towns on 0207 430 8702 or by e-mail: mailto:david.towns@nhsla.com
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10. Advertising Trust Doctor Posts
It has become apparent that some Trusts are creating 'Trust Doctor' posts in order to meet service pressures and fill 'gaps' which are becoming more of a problem now that junior doctors' hours (especially PRHOs) are reducing. In some cases these non-standard posts for junior doctors are being advertised in terms which imply that they count towards specialist training, when in fact they do not. Trusts are reminded that posts which are not formally recognised as contributing towards training should not be advertised as training posts. The expressions 'SHO' or 'senior house officer' should not be used in an advertisement for such a post, even where the narrative explains the post is not recognised for specialist medical training purposes. Trusts should work with Regional Action Teams on junior doctors' working hours to look at changes to skill-mix and rotations as a means to meeting targets on working hours.
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11. Golden Hello Application Form Update
The NHS GP Golden Hello scheme was rolled out on 2 November 2001. The scheme gives up to £5000 to new NHS GPs and those returning to general practice from the GP retainer scheme, with an extra payment of up to £5,000 if they work in an under-doctored area.
The application form for claiming Golden Hello payments has recently been updated. The new version, along with guidance on the scheme, is now available at www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/goldenhello/. New applicants should be directed to the updated version of the form when applying for payment.
Copies of completed applications should be forwarded to the Department of Health by 1 March to enable RLA/CLA letters to be issued this financial year. Any queries on this or the guidance on the website should be directed to Katie Cusick on 0113 2545850 or email at mailto:katie.cusick@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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12. Managing Demand: Referral Wizard
On 28th January the Modernisation Agency's demand management team are issuing a demand management Referral Wizard.
The Referral Wizard aims to help you to improve service and reduce waiting times. Anyone involved in referring patients, or delivering services where waiting times and numbers are an issue, should find this guide useful. The product is available in three formats: Little Wizard, Big Wizard and CD ROM.
The Little Wizard sets out in brief some tools and techniques that will help you improve the delivery of services. It covers
- Understanding and managing queues
- How to plot, interpret and take action on referral rates
- Improving the referral process through redesign and
- Guidelines, Care Pathways and Protocols.
You can find more detailed information in the Big Wizard and on the CD ROM which will be available shortly.
The Little Wizard will be distributed to the Chief Executive of each NHS Trust to pass on to the appropriate person within their organisation; Primary Care Organisation Chief Executives, Chairs, Primary Care Leads, Commissioning Leads, and Referral Advisors (where one is in post).
Further information about the Wizard products and access to the products is available at the following web addresses: www.modernnhs.nhs.uk www.demandmanagement.nhs.uk
Access is also available through a list serve and this will be via application to mailto:lists@taskcare.com to access the mailto:DMUK@taskcare.com
For further copies please contact: mailto:l.riley@summitconsulting.org.uk
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13. National Occupational Standards for Public Health Practice - Standards Development Workshops
Healthwork UK, the national training organisation for the UK health care sector, is undertaking for the Department of Health a project to develop national standards for public health practice. This follows up the commitments made in the Saving Lives White Paper, and extended in the NHS Plan.
The project came about as a positive response to one of the key aims of the Government, improving the health of the public. Strengthening the public health function is seen as crucial in achieving this aim.
A series of workshops to help in developing national standards, is taking place during the early part of 2002. For further information or to book for any of these dates please contact Kate Smith, Public Health Project, Healthwork UK, 344 - 354 Grays Inn Road, London WC1X 8BP. Tel: 0207 692 5550 or email mailto:kate.smith@healthwork.co.uk
Workshop dates and venues
30/01/02 Midlands (Birmingham - Solihull Hospital)
31/01/02 Scotland (Jury's Hotel, Glasgow)
06/02/02 London (89 Albert Embankment)
07/02/02 North (University of Leeds)
13/02/02 Wales (Metropole Hotel, Llandrindod Wells)
14/02/02 Northern Ireland (National Board of Nursing and Midwifery & Midwifery, Belfast)
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Social Care Interest
14. Information for Social Care Demonstrator Projects 2002-03: Call for Proposals
From the Improving Information Management capital grant in 2002-03, £1m has been set aside to fund a further programme of demonstrator projects. Proposals for projects to run during 2002-03 are invited from CSSRs.
Projects are expected to demonstrate inter-agency working, a person-centred focus, progress towards meeting the Modernisation agendas through application of systems and technology, links with implementation of the National Services Frameworks and better use of information by managers and staff. For information on the projects running during 2001-02, see
www.doh.gov.uk/scg/infsoc/ifscdemonstrator.htm
For a copy of the call for proposals, a bid pro-forma and guidance notes on completing it, see
www.doh.gov.uk/scg/infsoc/ifscdemonstrator.htm
Bids are to be sent to mailto:info.sc@doh.gsi.gov.uk by 31 March 2002.
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