Chief
Executive Bulletin 22 - 28 June 2001
Issue 72
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Chief
Executive Bulletin 22 - 28 June 2001 |
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Hard copy versions of these publications can be ordered from the NHS Responseline 08701 555 455. Contents: NHS interest 1. Amendment to the Statement For Fees And Allowances 2. Fourth wave of Personal Medical Services Pilots 3. Public Commission for Health Improvement Report: "Employing locum consultants: matters arising from the employment of Dr Elwood 4. Dispensing Doctors Fee Scale 5. Implementing Clinical Governance in the General Dental Services 6. The General Dental Services Incentive Schemes Directions 2001 7. Application for a prescription charges pre-payment certificate (PPC) (Form FP95) 8. Clinical Evidence, Issue 5 - A compendium of best available evidence 9. The provisional of occupational health and safety services for general medical practitioners and their staff NHS and Social Care interest 10. Continuing Health Care NHS and Local Councils' Responsibilities (HSC 2001/015 - Lac 2001/018) 11. Better Care Higher Standards Charters - Update 12.Medical Devices Agency - I) Safety Notice - MDA SN2001(17); ii) Safety Notice MDA SN2001(18); iii) Hazard Notice MDA HN2001(01); iv) Device Alert - MDA DA2001(04)
Social Care interest 13. Information for social care demonstrator projects 14. No Secrets: guidance on developing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse 15. LAC(2001)19 - Preserved Rights: Amendments to regulations governing circumstances in which councils can provide financial support
NHS interest
1. Amendment To The Statement Of Fees And Allowances Amendment 23 to the SFA (the Red Book) has been made and will be available on the NHS Responseline 08701 555 455 from early July. The website version is available on www.nhs.uk/redbook
2. Fourth wave of Personal Medical Services pilots This email from the Department of Health alerts you to the establishment of a fourth wave of Personal Medical Services pilots. Kathy Doran, Director of Primary Care, has written to Health Authority and Primary Care Trust Chief Executives outlining the conditions for applications for a fourth wave of Personal Medical Services pilots, which will "go live" on either 1 April 2002 or 1 October 2002. The full text of this letter will be available on the Department's Primary Care website wef from 28 June 2001 at http://www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/pms4thwave.pdf The basic philosophy of the PMS pilots is contained in the comprehensive guidance "Personal Medical Services Pilots under the NHS (Primary Care) Act 1997 (3rd Edition August 2000), a copy of which is also on the departmental website.
3. Publication of Commission for Health Improvement report: "Employing locum consultants: matters arising from the employment of Dr Elwood" The Commission for Health Improvement (CHI) investigated the use of locum medical practitioners by four NHS Trusts, with particular reference to Dr J S Elwood, a locum consultant histopathologist. The report, published on 3 May, highlights inadequacies in local procedures for recruiting, appointing and monitoring locum doctors, particularly those over retirement age, and a failure to comply with Department of Health guidance on the employment of locums. The report, which has been welcomed by the Department, urges that the lessons learnt by the four Trusts involved in this case are taken on board by the NHS as a whole and that its recommendations should be put into practice as a priority. CHI's report can be downloaded from http://www.chi.nhs.uk/eng/report/inv/locum/loc-00.htm or you can request a copy by emailing mailto:information@chi.nhs.uk or calling 020 7448 9200. 4. Dispensing Doctors Fee-scale The details of the amended fee-scale applicable from 1 April 2001 are given at http://www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/feesgmpdispensing.htm
5. Implementing Clinical Governance in the General Dental Services Issue 49 (http://www.doh.gov.uk/cebulletin18jan.htm) of the Chief Executive's bulletin contained information about the new Terms of Service requirement for dentists to undertake 15 hours of clinical audit/peer review during each three year period from April this year. Issue 58 (http://www.doh.gov.uk/cebulletin22march.htm) of the bulletin contained a letter from the Chief Dental Officer and a link to a handbook "Modernising NHS Dentistry - Clinical Audit and Peer Review in the GDS". Since then further guidelines have been prepared for Local Advisory Panels on administrative processes which slightly amend those in the handbook. Standard letters and forms have also been prepared. These will be sent to Health Authorities in the near future by the National Centre for Continuing Professional Education of Dentists (NCCPED) on behalf of the Department. Health Authorities are asked to act on these guidelines when they receive them from the NCCPED. Contact NCCPED for further information. Tel: 020 7905 1227 or email
6. The General Dental Services Incentive Schemes Directions 2001 have now come into force, enabling the next stages of the NHS Plan for NHS dentistry to proceed:
Guidance covering details of these schemes is available at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/dental/incentiveschemes.htm
7. Application for a prescription charges pre-payment certificate (PPC) (Form FP95). This is to let you know that an application for a prescription charges pre-payment certificate (PPC)) printed from the internet, may be accepted as a valid application for a PPC. We are trying to make PPCs more accessible to patients and have therefore put a web version of the application form (the FP95) on the DH web site. Patients (or their representatives) will be able to print this off, complete the form and send it, with payment, to English Health Authorities. The form can be viewed at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhscharges/fp95.htm. The form should not be used by patients resident in Wales, as different PPC charges apply. We will be monitoring the number of times the pages are "visited" by patients so that we can judge how many forms are obtained through this route. Any comments about these arrangements should be addressed to: Christine Clark, Business Manager, Prescriptions & other NHS Forms. Room 147 Richmond House, Whitehall. Email: mailto:Chris.Clark@doh.gsi.gov.uk 8. Clinical Evidence, Issue 5 - The DH makes available a compendium of best available evidence The Department of Health has negotiated central purchase of Clinical Evidence, a compendium of best available evidence for clinical practice. Much of the information in Clinical Evidence, published by the BMJ Publishing Group, is based on reviews undertaken by The NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and The Cochrane Collaboration, both of which have been funded by the NHS Research & Development programme. Issue 4 of Clinical Evidence was distributed widely throughout the NHS earlier this year. During the next few weeks, a quantity of printed copies of Issue 5 will be delivered to your organisation. Clinical Evidence is also available in an 'electronic format' as part of the National electronic Library for Health. It is important that all NHS practitioners have ready access to this important resource. It will support high quality clinical practice and Clinical Governance. You will need to determine locally the best distribution of the printed copies that your organisation receives. (All Principals in General Practice will receive a copy of Clinical Evidence under separate cover.) Further information, including recommendations about distribution within NHS organisations, is available at: www.doh.gov.uk/research.
9. The Provision Of Occupational Health And Safety Services For General Medical Practitioners And Their Staff Dr Sheila Adam is issuing guidance this week to Health Authorities, copied to NHS Trusts and PCG/PCTs, setting out the standards and range of occupational health and safety services to be provided to GPs and their staff. This new service is being funded by the allocation of £21million announced as part of the NHS Plan to extend occupational health and safety services (including counselling), which are already available to staff working elsewhere in the NHS, to GPs and their staff Services are to be commissioned by Health Authorities, primarily from NHS Trusts This document will be available at http://www.doh.gov.uk/healthandsafety Ref: 23922, 23939 mailed out 28/06/2001
NHS / Social Care interest
10. Continuing health care: NHS and local councils' responsibilities (HSC 2001/015-LAC 2001/018) The purpose of the new guidance is to:
Health authorities (in conjunction with PCTs) and working very closely with local councils, are asked to:
The new guidance issued replaces nine existing pieces of guidance, dating back to 1992. It is available at http://www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/coin4.nsf/page/HSC-2001-015?OpenDocument and http://www.doh.gov.uk/jointunit/ccc.htm
11. Better Care Higher Standards charters - update Better Care Higher Standards charters are public statements highlighting better more joined up standards of service across housing, the NHS and social services, against which the public can hold those authorities to account. Social services, with their partners in the NHS are committed to improving standards and targets in consultation with users and carers on an annual basis. There is an expectation that the local charter and annual report, as set out in the March 2001 (LAC2001/6 HSC2001/006) guidance, will be completed by the end of June 2001. A copy of the 2001/02 charter and annual report should be sent to: Debra Young, Department of Health, Room 216 Wellington House, 133-155 Waterloo Road, London SE1 8UG,E-mail: debra.young@doh.gsi.gov.uk. These should reach the Department of Health by 16 July 2001. 12. Medical Devices Agency i) Safety Notice - MDA SN2001(17) Steam sterilization indicators- Alternative Bowie and Dick test packs-changeover from BS 7720: 1995 to BS EN 867-4: 2001 This Safety Notice was issued on 15th of June to NHS Trust, Primary Care Trust and Health Authority Chief Executives. As usual it was also issued to Liaison Officers of Trusts and Health Authorities for action and for onward distribution as specified in the Notice. Electronic version of the SN 2001 (17) can be found at: http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk/sn2001(17).htm ii) Safety Notice - MDA SN2001(18) Breast Implants This Safety Notice was issued on the 15th of June to NHS Trust, Primary Care Trust and Health Authority Chief Executives. As usual it was also issued to Liaison Officers of Trusts and Health Authorities for action and for onward distribution as specified in the Notice. Elecronic version of the SN 2001 (18) can be found at: http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk/sn2001(18).htm iii) Hazard Notice - MDA HN2001(01) Pantak Therapax DXT 300 orthovoltage radiotherapy unit: underosage This Hazard Notice was issued on the 19th of June to NHS Trust and Health Authority Chief Executives. As usual it was also issued to Liaison Officers of Trusts and Health Authorities for action and for onward distribution as specified in the Notice. Electronic version of the HN 2001(01) can be found at: http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk/hn2001(01).htm
iiii) Device Alert - MDA DA2001(04) The Use of Central Intravenous Access in Neonatal Parenteral Feeding This Device Alert was issued on the 15th of June 2001 to NHS Trust and Health Authority Chief Executives. As usual, it was also faxed Trust and Health Authority Liaison Officers for immediate action and for onward distribution as specified in the Notice. Electronic version of the DA 2001(04) can be found at: http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk/da2001(04).htm For further information on the role and nomination of Liaison Officers e-mail us at: http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk Social Care Interest
13. 'Information for Social Care Demonstrator Projects'. As part of the Information for Social Care implementation programme, LAC (2001)9 invited local councils with social services responsibilities to submit proposals for demonstrator projects. Out of the 55 project proposals received, six projects have been chosen: Leeds: To demonstrate the potential of Customer Relations Management (CRM) technology to support an integrated single record and a single assessment process in a multi-agency setting. Cambridgeshire: To pilot the input of assessments using the common assessment tool (CAT), currently a paper based system, on a number of portable media and evaluate which media are the most suitable for the purpose and for allowing access to the central information systems. Newham: Development of a risk model for social care, working towards information security standard BS 7799. Tameside: Definition of information required to run the business, based on business objectives across a balanced scorecard, and develop collection and reporting systems
Hammersmith & Fulham: Setting up a secure electronic portal between council services and Primary and Community Health services. Hillingdon: Planning and development of a Community Health Web Site - for public access with information on health, social and other public services Further material will be posted at http://www.doh.gov.uk/scg/information.htm when it becomes available.
14. No Secrets: Guidance On Developing Multi-Agency Policies And Procedures To Protect Vulnerable Adults From Abuse. The Department of Health launched guidance titled 'No Secrets' on 20 March 2000, under Section 7 of the Local Authority Services Act 1970. The guidance was drafted by a Department of Health funded and led Steering Group, which included representatives from the Home Office, the Welsh Office, the police, social services health and the voluntary sector. 'No Secrets' deals with developing and implementing multi-agency policies and procedures to protect vulnerable adults from abuse. Directors of Social Services will need to ensure that local multi-agency codes of practice are developed and implemented by 31 October 2001. To aid implementation, the Department of Health held a series of six, one-day workshops in Leeds and London, from November 2000 through to March 2001. These will assist all authorities and other agencies to share current practice and develop best practice, well in advance of the 31 October 2001 implementation deadline. Ref No: 24208 mailed out W/C 25/06/2001 An electronic version of CI(2001)9 Letter is available http://www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/coin4.nsf/page/CI-(2001)9?OpenDocument
15. LAC(2001)19 - The Residential Accommodation (Relevant Premises, Ordinary Residence and Exemptions) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2001 Amendment To Regulations Governing Circumstances In Which Councils Can Provide Financial Support To People With Preserved Rights The Secretary of State has made regulations amending The Residential Accommodation (Relevant Premises, Ordinary Residence and Exemptions) Regulations 1993. The new regulations allow councils to support in their existing residential care or nursing home those people with preserved rights who face eviction but who could hitherto receive such support only in a different care home. They came into force on Friday, 1 June. This guidance, which is issued under section 7(1) of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970, supplements that set out in LAC(93)6, issued in March 1993. In particular, it impacts on the content of paragraphs 16, 23 and 24 of LAC(93)6. Enquiries about this Circular should be made to: Roger Pettit, Department of Health, Social Care Group, Room 211, Wellington House, London SE1 8UG [tel: 020-7972 4723; e-mail: Roger.Pettit@doh.gsi.gov.uk] LAC(2001)19 can be accessed at: http://www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/coin4.nsf/page/LAC-(2001)19?OpenDocument
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 - ©2001 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 - ©2001 |
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