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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. Independent specialist advocacy in England and Wales - recommendations for good practice
2. Mental health Act Commission issues legal guidance on second opinion procedure
3. Local 'better care higher standards' charter
4. Children in need census
5. Requirement for auditor certification of health authority drugs education and prevention funding 2001/2; Requirement for auditor certification of the young people's substance misuse planning grant 2001/02
6. Guidance on HIV infected health care workers and patient notification
7. Project to develop national occupational standards and qualifications for support services: invitation to contribute to the consultation
8. Device alert - MDA DA2002(08) Resuscitator: Ambu infant/child single-use model A243004000, Serial no. OCN0105679, lot no. 243002619: risk of overpressure

NHS interest

9. Safety notice - MDA SN2002(20) Vickers 165 Resuscitaire (integrated radiant warmer and resuscitation unit designed for use in delivery suites and special care baby units): various age-related safety issues
10. Health service commissioner annual report for 2001- 2002 and Completed Investigations' report - December 2001- March 2002
11. Extending choice for patients - establishing the heart surgery scheme: update
12. The step guide to improving operating theatre performance
13. Audit Commission - national fraud initiative-2002 - inclusion of NHS and Department of Health payroll data
14. Guidance on English language testing for dentists from overseas
15. National shared services initiative - progress on shared financial services
16. Patient and public involvement

Social care interest

17. CI(2002)8 Modernising services to transform care
18. Mental health supplementary credit approval (MHSCA)
19. Survey of elderly home care users in 2002-2003

NHS/Social Care interest

1. Independent specialist advocacy in England and Wales - recommendations for good practice

Yesterday the Government published a draft Mental Health Bill and consultation document. The proposals include new safeguards for patients, one of which is that services users who are subject to compulsory powers should have access to independent specialist advocacy services. This service would aim to ensure that they and their carers, are better able to understand the purpose and scope of the legal powers that affect them. The independent specialist advocacy service would also assist with patients' concerns about care and treatment.

The Department commissioned the University of Durham to carry out a study of mental health advocacy services to assist the development and implementation of the proposals. Their report, Independent Specialist Advocacy in England and Wales: Recommendations for Good Practice, recommends clear boundaries for specialist advocacy services - a distinct service for a distinct group of service users that places specialist advocacy in the context of other advocacy provision. It also recommends a code of practice and the establishment of core standards. The Department has now published the report with a series of questions that target specific issues.

The report that can be found at: www.doh.gov.uk/mentalhealth/advocacy/

The Mental Health Act Commission has issued guidance on new legal duties of responsible medical officers in relation to second opinions under Part IV of the Mental Health Act 1983. The duties relate to offering patients access to information provided by Second Opinion Appointed Doctors (SOADs). The Commission has also issued guidance to SOADs.

Both documents can be accessed at http://www.mhac.trent.nhs.uk/publications.htm

For further information contact Mat Kinton at kintonm@mhac.trent.nhs.uk

For the attention of all social services authorities and PCTs.

HSC 2001/6/LAC(2001)6 provides guidance on the content of local 'Better Care Higher Standards' charters for the two years 2001/02 and 2002/03.

We are reminding you that local charters for the period 1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003 should be published by 30 June 2002.

As described in HSC2001/6/LAC(2001)6 each charter should include a jointly agreed strategy for providing information to service users about long term care services across health, social services, and housing.

For further information contact Catherine Alexander on 0207 972 4058 or at Catherine.alexander@doh.gsi.gov.uk

HSC 2001/6: LAC (2001)6

On 3 July 2002, data from the 2001 Children in Need Census will be published by the Department and placed on the Children in Need website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/cin/cin2001results.htm. The website will include an executive summary of the main findings.

This census covers the number of children in need. It also shows the activity and expenditure incurred by England's local authority social services departments in respect of these children during one week in September/October 2001. This is the second comprehensive survey of children in need in England - the first was in February 2000.

The contact for Children in Need is Mike Barker. (020 7972 5593 GTN 25593).

Our cash adjustment allocation letter dated 22 November 2001 and LAC(2001)20 informed health authorities and local authorities respectively that the funding would be subject to auditor certification to confirm that it had been used for the purposes intended. Details of the arrangements for auditor certification can be found at:

Requirement for auditor certification of health authority drugs education and prevention funding 2001/2

Requirement for auditor certification of the young people's substance misuse planning grant 2001/02

LAC (2001)20

The Department is issuing revised guidance on the management of HIV infected health care workers and patient notification for consultation with key health professionals, professional bodies and patient organisations. This will replace guidance issued under cover of HSC 1998/226 Guidance on the Management of AIDS/HIV Infected Health Care Workers and Patient Notification.

Under the new guidance, it will no longer be necessary to notify every patient who has undergone an exposure prone procedure by an infected health care worker because of the low risk of transmission and the anxiety caused to patients and the wider public. The decision on whether to carry out a patient notification exercise will be assessed on a case-by-case basis using a criteria based risk assessment framework.

The closing date for comments is 18 October 2002. The consultation letter and guidance are on the DH website at http://www.doh.gov.uk/aids.htm. Hard copies may be requested from the NHS Responseline 08701 555455. For further information contact Ruth Hickson on 020-7972-6506 or at ruth.hickson@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Skills for Health have taken over from Healthwork UK the management of the UK wide project to develop National Occupational Standards (NOS) and a qualifications framework for Support Services in the healthcare sector. This project is supported by the Health Departments from all four UK countries.

Preparations are currently underway for the next major phase of the project,- the consultation phase - which will be conducted through field testing and by questionnaire.

The documents: introduce the new organisation "Skills for Health";update on progress within the project to date; explain how your organisation can take part in the consultation / field-testing phase due to begin later in the summer; and provide contact details for further information.

DH contact Karen Teal at: karen.teal@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Newsletter introducing the new organisation
Update on Skills for Health Newsletter

This device alert was issued on 18 June 2002 to NHS trusts, primary care trusts chief executives, social services chief executives and National Care Standards Commission headquarters. It was also faxed to liaison officers of trusts, primary care trusts, social services and National Care Standards Commission for action for onward distribution as specified in the notice.

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

9. Safety notice - MDA SN2002(20) Vickers 165 Resuscitaire (integrated radiant warmer and resuscitation unit designed for use in delivery suites and special care baby units): various age-related safety issues

This safety notice was issued on 19th June 2002 to NHS trusts chief executives and National Care Standards Commission headquarters. It was also issued to liaison officers of trusts 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
bs@medical-devices.gov.uk or visit the website http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk

On June 25 the Health Service Ombudsman published his Annual Report for 2001/2002 and his latest Completed Investigations' report covering the period December 2001 to March 2002. Both reports are available on the Ombudsman's website www.ombudsman.org.uk

The Completed Investigations report is in two volumes. Volume I contains details on the 93 investigations completed in the period, 30 of these being "short reports" outlining key features of the cases and the remainder being brief summaries. Volume II comprises the full text of 13 of the Short Report cases from Volume I.

The annual report contains three chapters - 'Overview of the year', 'Themes from investigations', and 'Workload and performance'. The themes from the investigations chapter will be of particular interest to NHS staff as it highlights a number of concerning issues, some of which are recurring.

The one key issue that impacts on all aspects of NHS services is communication and therefore a specific section in chapter 2 is devoted to this topic. It contains a number of cases were patients died, possibly as a result of communication failures or with that as a contributory factor.

The Ombudsman's reports are an invaluable source of information for the NHS both for improving services and as a training resource. Chief Executives should make sure all convenors, complaints managers and clinical directors are made aware of the reports. Primary care practitioners should consider the use of the reports as a training tool within their practices.

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

National Director for Heart Disease Dr Roger Boyle has written to the directors of health and social care to update them on various aspects of the Extending Choice for Patients Heart Surgery scheme which begins on 1 July.
The letter includes information on:

• the tender exercise to identify potential private sector capacity in the UK and overseas
• information for patients
• travel costs for companions
• a checklist to help trusts prepare for implementation of the scheme.

The letter is available on the CHD Choice website: www.doh.gov.uk/extendingchoice

The NHS Modernisation Agency's Operating Theatre & Pre-operative Assessment Programme has launched new guidance to help trusts reduce cancelled operations and achieve their waiting and booking targets. The Step Guide to Improving Operating Theatre Performance is based on findings from work carried out in the programme's nine pilot sites since March 2001 and builds on work begun in Tackling Cancelled Operations, interim guidance published by the programme in December 2001.

The Step Guide consists of four stages that trusts should follow and includes four 'diagnostic toolkits' that can be used to identify and analyse areas for improvement. The toolkit addresses cancelled operations, patient experience, employee views and operating theatre performance. A copy of the Step Guide will be sent to all NHS trusts across England. For further information on the Operating Theatre & Pre-operative Assessment Programme and to download additional copies of the Step Guide, visit www.modern.nhs.uk/theatreprogramme

The Audit Commission conducts exercises every two years, where payroll and pensions data from public bodies is matched against records held by local authorities on people who are claiming housing benefits, student grants and so on. The last exercise held in 2000 included payroll data from NHS bodies in London. A number of frauds committed by NHS employees against local authorities were discovered as a result. In all around £50m in fraud and overpayments was identified.

For this year's exercise, payroll data from across the NHS in England and the Department of Health will be included. The NHS Counter Fraud Service (NHS CFS) will be working jointly with the Audit Commission on this initiative. The full text of a letter from NHS CFS director Jim Gee explaining more about this work can be found on the Department's website. This letter has been sent to the director of finance and local counter fraud specialist in each health body in England. Participation is mandatory under Section 6 of the Audit Commission Act 1998. A small charge will be made to each health body.

Letter

For further information contact Alex Nagle at alex.nagle@dog.gsi.gov.uk

Guidance on the requirements for dentists to undertake an english language test before being accepted for inclusion in a dental list, has been revised and updated.

Dentists will not be required to take the IELTS examination if

• they have practised continuously as a general dental practitioner in the UK for at least one year
• they have been included in a dental list during this time
• neither the dentists nor the HA/PCT have received any written complaints in respect of the dentist's English language skills.

The revised guidance, which includes a flow chart summary for easy reference, replaces Jerry Read's letter dated November 2001 and can be found at http://www.doh.gov.uk/dental/language.htm

Two managing directors have been appointed to run the Shared Service Centres in the South West and West Yorkshire. Steve Coxon takes up his new post for the South West from the beginning of July. He previously worked in change management for the merged Halifax and Bank of Scotland Corporation (HBOS). David Thorpe will join West Yorkshire Shared Service Centre on 1 September. He is currently working for General Electric where he runs their Pan-European Shared Services Centre.

Contract negotiations for the premises to house the new Shared Service Centres are nearing completion. A 10-year lease for the Whitefriars building in Bristol was signed on 14 June for the South West Shared Service Centre and arrangements for West Yorkshire are to be finalised shortly.

For more information contact Fiona Barr on 0113 2547712.

Shared Services web pages can be found at http://www.doh.gov.uk/sharedservices/

16. Patient and public involvement

The NHS Reform and Health Care Professions Bill received royal assent on 25 June. It provides for a new national Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH). Headquarters will be in Birmingham and recruitment for the chair has begun. Its key functions will be

• to set standards for, monitor and performance-manage patient forums and providers of independent complaints advocacy services (ICAS). This will guarantee independence from the NHS for forums and ICAS providers.
• to keep an overview of the patient and public involvement system and make recommendations to the Secretary of State.
• to carry out national reviews of services from the patients' perspective - collating data from forums and making recommendations to the Secretary of State, and to other bodies and people.

The timetable for implementation is currently being finalised.

• The CPPIH will be established in January next year and at around the same time OSCs will take on their new responsibilities and the new duty on the NHS to involve and consult the public will also come into effect.
• The CPPIH will then appoint staff to each PCT area who will begin appointing members of all forums in their area.
• Once this has happened PCT Forums will begin their work and take up their responsibility for the delivery of ICAS. CHCs will continue to exist to ensure a smooth transition to the new system. The date of their abolition and the arrangements for CHC staff are still being discussed with CHCs, the unions, other key stakeholders and ministers.
• Patient Advice and Liaison Services are currently being rolled out in all trusts in England

Further details about the arrangements will shortly be available.

17. CI(2002)8 Modernising services to transform care

Modernising Services to transform care is a report from the Social Services Inspectorate about an inspection of how councils are managing the modernisation agenda in social care. Between November 2000 and July 2001, the Social Services Inspectorate conducted a series of inspections in six local councils to assess their progress in modernising services. The report describes how far councils with social services responsibilities have begun to respond to Government policies to implement the modernisation agenda. It contains practical examples of good ideas and innovation and a framework to help councillors and senior managers audit their approach to modernisation.

The report is available at www.doh.gov.uk/ssi/modservstrans.htm

CI (2002)8

Ref. CI letter 28309, Report 28307.

This letter requests that all Councils with Social Services Responsibility (CSSRs) who were awarded Mental Health Supplementary Credit Approvals (MHSCA) for 2001-2003 formally confirm what will be spent on the designated project before the end of March 2003. This is to be done by completing the Forecast of Final Outturn form due back no later than 19th July 2002.

All CSSRs including those who were not awarded MHSCA for 2001-03 can bid for surplus resources, which must be spent by the end of March 2003. Return the Bid for Underspend form by 19 July 2002

For further information contact Helen.scaman@doh.gsi.gov.uk

Letter

What people think of the services they receive is vital information when assessing performance. Guidance has been issued on running the survey of elderly home care users, the results of which will be used to derive the two user experience indicators in the PSS Performance Assessment Framework and Best Value which will be published in autumn 2003. It provides the opportunity for councils to include additional questions for their own purposes. This survey is different from the survey we have asked councils to conduct in the last two years. The guidance and questions have been developed by the Office for National Statistics in collaboration with the Social Policy Research Unit and we have consulted on the approach with ADSS, SSRG and through them, councils. Further details are included in the guidance which is available on at www.doh.gov.uk/pssuser2002-03

For further information contact martin.stopher@doh.gsi.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 - ©2002

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copyright: © | Last updated: 27 June, 2002