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Chief Executive Bulletin
- 23 - 29 November 2001
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Hard copy versions of these publications can be ordered from the NHS Responseline 08701 555 455. Contents: NHS and Social Care interest 1. Winter Readiness and Communications2. HSC 2001/025 LAC(2001)31 Care Standards Act- Guidance on Continuing Responsibilities of Local Authorities and Health Authorities Following the Transfer of Registration and Inspection to the National Care Standards Commission on 1 April 2002 3. National Occupational Standards in Mental Health - Newsletter 1 NHS interest 4. Improving Working Lives - National Targets5. Working Together, Learning Together: A Framework for Lifelong Learning in the NHS 6. New Cash Injection to Improve GP Surgeries 7. Guidance to Prison Health Services Staff on Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and Smoking Cessation 8. Health Service Ombudsman: Information Leaflet 9. NHS Professionals - 2nd Stage Reminder Social Care interest 10. LAC(2001)32 Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential Social Services - Guidance for Councils with Social Services Responsibilities11. LASSL 2001(12) Personal Social Services Capital Programme 2002-03: Annual Capital Guidelines NHS/Social Care interest 1. Winter Readiness and Communications You will of course be making final arrangements locally to prepare for winter and for the Christmas and New Year Holidays. The HSC/LAC issued in July set out the key points to be considered including informing the local population of the services that will be available over the holiday period, particularly in primary care and social services. Further information can be found in the Local Checklist document at www.doh.gov.uk/capacityplanning/capplan.htm If you feel that planning for winter in your area has been particularly well co-ordinated, or if you have new approaches to capacity planning or new service developments aimed at ensuring a smoother passage through the winter period, we would be very pleased to hear about them and to arrange for them to be shared with other parts of the service. Please send details by Tuesday 4th December to WEST at the following email address: west@doh.gsi.gov.uk 2. HSC 2001/025 LAC(2001)31 Care Standards Act- Guidance on Continuing Responsibilities of Local Authorities and Health Authorities Following the Transfer of Registration and Inspection to the National Care Standards Commission on 1 April 2002 This circular requests that councils with social services responsibilities and Health Authorities ensure that protocols and procedures are agreed with the NCSC by 1 April 2002 for joint working on:
The circular also identifies current guidance that will no longer apply after 1 April 2002. Ref. 26003. Hard copies available w/c 3/12/01. 3. National Occupational Standards in Mental Health - Newsletter 1 Welcome to the first newsletter of a UK wide project to develop national occupational standards in mental health. The project is being managed by Healthwork UK, The Health Care National Training Organisation, with the support of the Training Organisation for the Personal Social Services (TOPSS) and a range of other National Training Organisations. In line with devolution of government and the respective plans and policies for improving NHS services in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the project is also supported by the Departments of Health from all four countries of the UK. The newsletter is available on the Healthwork UK web site www.healthwork.co.uk Hard copies are available from: Miller West Limited, West Mill House, 29 Marsh Parade, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, ST5 1BT Telephone: 01782 710158 email: MillerWestLtd@cs.com NHS interest 4. Improving Working Lives - National Targets The NHS Plan introduced the Improving Working Lives Standard and set targets for NHS employers, Trusts, and existing PCTs and Health Authorities to prove they are improving the working lives of their staff, by achieving the IWL Standard in 3 stages. Stage 1 Pledge had a target date of April 2001 for trusts and Health Authorities. PCGs moving to PCT status in 2000/01 have a target date of achieving stage one by April 2002. Practice - Stage 2, has a target date of April 2003 for trusts, Health Authorities and PCTs set up between 2000 and 2002. Practice Plus stage will be awarded, only once the organisation has achieved improving working lives for all staff. Currently trusts are working with their regional Improving Working Lives Leads to agree an accreditation window, so that the assessment and accreditation process for achieving IWL can be rolled out during 2002/03. Ministers have, however, agreed to set revised target dates for newly emerging organisations. Workforce Development Confederations and Strategic Health Authorities will be required to achieve Pledge by September 2002 and April 2004 for accreditation PCTs coming on stream between April 2002 and October 2002 will have a variable timetable to achieve Pledge within 6 months of establishment and Practice 12 months beyond Pledge. This means that all newly emerging organisations would be at Practice Stage by April 2004. For further information please contact your regional IWL Lead, contact details available on the IWL website, www.doh.gov.uk/iwl 5. Working Together, Learning Together: A Framework for Lifelong Learning in the NHS Lifelong Learning and development are key to delivering the Government’s vision of patient centred care in the NHS. The main aim is to ensure that the NHS, working with its partners and related sectors, develops and equips staff with the skills they need to:
This is not simply a good thing in itself. There is increasing evidence that lifelong learning, as part of good employment practice, lies at the heart of effective organisational performance. Who is it for? The framework is directed at those responsible for making lifelong learning happen - NHS organisations, managers and supervisors, education providers, the professions, Workforce Development Confederations and staff themselves. It is wide in scope, touching on many aspects of learning and development - ranging from induction through to continuing personal and professional development and leadership and management. It sets out the characteristics of an effective learning organisation. It also emphasises that staff need to take responsibility to develop and to participate in lifelong learning. www.doh.gov.uk/lifelonglearning Ref. 25725. Mailed to NHS Chief Executives, Chairs, Directors of Human Resources, Training & Development. 6. New Cash Injection to Improve GP Surgeries The Health Secretary Alan Milburn announced on the 5 November a £55 million package to improve primary care premises in deprived parts of the country. This comprised of:
The £15 million earmarked to help general practice is being allocated as revenue through health authorities to targeted Primary Care Trusts or remaining Primary Care Groups. £5m is being allocated in 2001-02 and £10m in 2002-03. Resource & Revenue Limit Adjustments for 2001-02 will be issued this month. The funds are to contribute towards the cost of premises improvements which facilitate expansion of the primary care workforce, i.e. to expand the physical capacity to accommodate additional members of the primary health care team - doctors, nurses, receptionists, practice managers or other health care professionals. NHS LIFT sites may also use these funds to develop their local lift projects. More detailed guidance is available at www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/practicepremises. 7. Guidance to Prison Health Services Staff on Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) and Smoking Cessation As you know, NHS General Practitioners are now able to prescribe NRT to their patients. As prison health care centres are expected to provide a service to prisoners which is broadly equivalent to that available in the community, Governors and clinicians working in prisons had asked Prison Health Policy Unit for guidance on providing NRT to prisoners. The text of guidance, which was issued to prisons in September, is attached as an annex to this letter. It is possible that some staff working in prisons will wish to discuss this guidance with your smoking cessation co-ordinators, and I would therefore be grateful if you could pass a copy of this letter to him/ her. Ref. 26047. Will be mailed to Health Authority Chairs, Directors of Public Health and Primary care. 8. Health Service Ombudsman: Information Leaflet The office of the Health Service Ombudsman has revised its information leaflet. It gives details of which areas are within the Ombudsman’s jurisdiction, how to put a complaint and how investigations might proceed, and includes a form to aid complainants in putting their case in writing. Often the first source of information about the Ombudsman service which a complainant receives, it gives all contact details and explains the process clearly. The new version of the leaflet can be ordered by calling 020 7217 4942, faxing 020 7217 4940 or e-mailing OHSC.Enquiries@ombudsman.gsi.gov.uk. It is also available on request in Arabic, Bengali, Cantonese, Greek, Gujurati, Hindi, Punjabi, Turkish, Urdu, Vietnamese, Braille, audio cassette, large print and a symbol version with simplified text developed by Mencap. In addition, the minority language versions will be posted on the HSO website - www.ombudsman.org.uk - in portable document format (PDF) for downloading. 9. NHS Professionals - 2nd Stage Reminder NHS Professionals regional implementation managers have been asked to share regional rollout plans with the National Project Board. This is an important process for trusts, as it will help in the planning of funding to support individual trusts implement NHS Professionals and to deliver a nationally co-ordinated rollout. This is a reminder to those trusts that are not yet live to agree urgently with their regional implementation team a date for phasing into this initiative (target date before April 2003) by the agreed date of Friday 7th December. The NHS Professionals project is an important initiative that presents the service with a significant opportunity to improve quality and reduce costs. If you have any queries, please contact Caroline Fox on Tel: 0793 900 8525 Social Care Interest 10. LAC(2001)32 Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential Social Services - Guidance for Councils with Social Services Responsibilities The Department issued guidance Fairer Charging Policies for Home Care and other non-residential Social Services on 23 November. This is statutory guidance issued under section 7 of the Local Authority Social Services Act 1970. The guidance follows consultation on draft guidance between January and March this year. Problems with charging policies for non-residential social services were previously identified in the report of the Royal Commission on long term care, March 1999, and the Audit Commission study, Charging with Care, May 2000. The guidance is issued along with Local Authority Circular LAC(2001)32. The LAC includes advice on implementation for each of the two phases, from 1 October 2002 and 1 April 2003. Both the guidance and the LAC are available on the Department’s website at www.doh.gov.uk/scg/homecarecharges Ref. 26042. Hard copies available w/c 3/12/01. 11. LASSL 2001(12) Personal Social Services Capital Programme 2002-03: Annual Capital Guidelines This LASSL informs Councils of decisions made by the Secretary of State for Health about the Annual Capital Guidelines (ACGs) for Personal Social Services for the financial year 2002-2003. The ACG for each council is included as part of this. Ref. 26007. Mailed to Social Services Directors of Finance. 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 Back to Chief Executive's Bulletin Home PagePublished by the
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