Chief Executive Bulletin
- 23 February - 1 March 2001
Issue 55
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Chief Executive Bulletin
- 23 February - 1 March 2001 |
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Contents: NHS interest 1. 2001 Census Enumeration of Hospitals 2. STRATEGIC REVIEW OF REGIONAL DRUG MISUSE DATABASES 3. Code of Practice for Human Tissue Banking for Therapeutic Services 4. Delivering electronic pathology results messaging 5. Making the Change: A Strategy for the Professions in Healthcare Science 6. Message From The Health Service Ombudsman, Michael Buckley Completed Investigations, August - November 2000 9. Research Governance Framework for Health And Social Care: Modernisation of NHS R&D Funding 11. MET Office Workload Forecasts NHS and Social Care interest 12. LAC 2001/6 HSC2001/006 Better Care Higher Standards Guidance for 2001/02 13. National Service Framework for Mental Health - Workforce Action team (WAT) Social Care interest 14. Foot and Mouth Outbreak: Advice For Essential Workers Guidance Note for Social Care and NHS Staff delivering essential services 15. Use of Internet for reporting of Social Services data for 2000-2001 to DH 16. Reporting of data electronically 17. The Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000
NHS interest 1. 2001 Census Enumeration of Hospitals Details of the new responsibilities for hospital managers in issuing Census Forms to patients. http://www.doh.gov.uk/census2001/index.htm 2. STRATEGIC REVIEW OF REGIONAL DRUG MISUSE DATABASES The Review of the Regional Drug Misuse Databases (RDMDs) has now entered the procurement stage to find a supplier to re-develop the software. The letter to Chief Executives of Health Authorities provides an update on progress and outlines the likely additional operational costs for the new system, over and above existing operational costs (for resources and accommodation to deal with increased workloads) and database equipment start up costs. These costs will need to met by Health Authorities via the Lead Purchasers. Lead purchasers will be in contact with relevant Health Authorities to discuss individual contributions towards these costs. These will need to be met from the additional funding for drug treatment services secured as part of the 2000 Spending Review (SR2000). As you will be aware, in the first year (20001/02) these funds will be allocated to Health Authorities, on behalf of DATs, in the form of a pooled budget. In December, UK Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit wrote to DATs providing provisional allocations for every Health Authority in England - confirmation of the allocations will be issued shortly. 3. Code of Practice for Human Tissue Banking for Therapeutic Services If there is a bank of human tissue (for treatments) in your Trust, or clinicians in your Trust use therapeutic tissues supplied by a tissue bank, you need to be aware that from 1st April 2001 there will be an accreditation scheme for these banks. Once the scheme is fully operational, NHS Trusts will be expected to obtain human tissues for therapeutic use only from accredited banks. Banks will be accredited if they comply with the requirements of the Code of Practice for Human Tissue Banking for Therapeutic Purposes. The Code sets out the principles of good practice that should exist in all such banks and was prepared by the Department of Health in consultation with the Royal Colleges and relevant professional organisations. The Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is to be responsible for administering the scheme, including inspections of tissue banks Details about the operation of the scheme and application forms to join will be available from mid February from the Licensing office, MCA, Room 17/101 Market Towers, London SW8 5NQ. Ref. 23217. Hard copies will be mailed to NHS Trust Medical Directors w/c 5/3/01 4. Delivering electronic pathology results messaging The national rollout of secure pathology results messaging to General Practices will commence from April 2001. Local action by Health Authorities and Trusts is required to ensure that national standards and guidelines are applied to upgrades or new procurements of pathology messaging systems and that by March 2002 60% of practices will be able to receive electronic pathology results, with 100% by December 2002. The following document provides further guidance www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexipu/whatnew/pathmesg.htm
5. Making the Change: A Strategy for the Professions in Healthcare Science Today, Lord Hunt of Kings Heath launched Making the Change: A Strategy for the Professions in Healthcare Science. The NHS employs some of the UK's most talented scientists, engineers and technologists. They play a central role in supporting improvements in cancer services, in services for people with coronary heart disease and many other conditions, through technological advance, innovation and new ways of working but their contribution has often been undervalued in the past. Making the Change raises the profile of the professions working in healthcare science and describes some of their activities. It indicates how this important group of staff will be supported and developed in the future so that patients benefit, and innovation is introduced into all aspects of the health service. It also introduces the new name of "healthcare scientists" for this group of staff as a generic title reflecting the common role they play in the NHS. We need to ensure that the contribution of these professions is acknowledged, valued and supported. Innovative practice needs to become the norm to the benefit of patients and service users. I very much welcome these initiatives and look to all NHS organisations to put them into practice. For more information on Making the Change please contact Dr Peter Greenaway, Chief Scientific Officer, at peter.greenaway@doh.gsi.gov.uk or Filao Wilson at filao.wilson@doh.gsi.gov.uk Making the Change http://www.doh.gov.uk/makingthechange/index.htm Ref. 23334.
6. Message From the Health Service Ombudsman, Michael Buckley Completed Investigations, August - November 2000 The latest report of Completed Investigations, August - November 2000, has been published today (HC 278-1 and HC 278-11). I hope that publishing reports of investigations in this way continues to provide material for teaching and training, to assure the public and health professionals of the office's commitment to thoroughness and impartiality, and to provide a working document for all those who are involved in good practice. The report is published in two parts and includes details of all investigations completed between August and November 2000. Part I contains short reports and summaries of completed investigations and Part II contains the full text of selected investigations. The report is published on my website at www.ombudsman.org.uk (on the Health Service Commissioner's page) and copies can be bought from the Stationery Office. Volume 1 costs £8.55 and Volume 2 costs £14.30. To order your copies call The Stationery Office on 0845 702 3474, quoting ISBN 010 28 44 01 1 for Volume 1 and ISBN 010 28 4301 5 for Volume 2. If you have any problems accessing the report please contact Suzanne Burge, Information Manager on 020 7217 4102 or Pat Simons, Assistant Information Manager on 020 7217 4104. I hope that you find this report useful and would be grateful if you could draw it to the attention of complaints managers and members of the Board.
Advance Letters in respect of the following Staff Groups: Administrative and Clerical Staff - Advance Letter (AC)1/2001 - Ref. 23416 Ancillary Staff - Advance Letter (ASC) 1/2001 - Ref. 23415 Maintenance Staff - Advance Letter (MC) 1/2001 - Ref. 23411 Professional and Technical Staff - Advance Letter (PTB) 1/2001 - Ref. 23410 Ambulance Staff - Advance Letter (AMB) 1/2001 Ambulance Officers and Control Assistants - Advance Letter (AC) 2/2001 Clinical Scientists and Hospital Optometrists - Advance Letter (SP) 1/2001 - Ref. 23412 Speech and Language Therapists and Speech and Language Therapists' Assistants- Advance Letter (SP) 2/2001 - Ref. 23413 Hospital Chaplains and Hospital Chaplains' Assistants- Advance Letter (SP) 3/2001 - Ref. 23414 These Advance Letters set out the agreement reached by the various Whitley Councils on increases to national salary scales for the year 2001/2002. A summary of the agreements is as follows:
Hospital Medical and Dental Staff/Doctors in Public Health Medicine and the Community Health Service Clinical Psychologists and Child Psychotherapists Hospital Pharmacists Further information on pay for 2001/02 for Hospital Medical and Dental Staff/Doctors in Public Health Medicine and the Community Health Service, and Clinical Psychologists and Child Psychotherapists, and for 2000/01 and 2001/02 for Hospital Pharmacists, will follow as soon as possible Advance Letter MD 2/01 Rates of Mileage Allowances Issued on 28 February 2001, provides guidance to employers on rates of mileage allowances for Hospital Medical and Dental staff. This letter clarifies the circumstances in which the payment of standard mileage rate and public transport mileage rate is appropriate. Ref. 23408 Advance Letter MD 3/01 Exemption From Advertising For Senior Clinical Medical Officers In Child Health Regrading To Consultants Issued on 1 March 2001, informs authorities that employ Senior Clinical Medical Officer's (SCMOs) who are on the General Medical Council's Specialist Register of a limited opportunity to seek exemptions from advertising consultant posts under the mechanism of HSG(94)10. Ref. 23409 Copies of all Advance Letters will be mailed to all recipients who do not receive this bulletin w/c 5/3/01. Following concerns that resuscitation decisions were not always being appropriately made in the NHS, HSC 2000/28 and the NHS Plan required all NHS Trust chief executives to ensure by April this year that Trusts implement a resuscitation policy which respects patients' rights. The circular commended a joint statement, Decisions relating to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation, by the British Medical Association, Resuscitation Council (UK) and the Royal College of Nursing as an appropriate basis for such a policy. The BMA, RCN and Resuscitation Council (UK) have now revised Decisions relating to Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation to reflect the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998. The document will be of interest to all those who may be concerned with the development and implementation of resuscitation policies. The revised text was published on 28 February 2001, and is available on the BMA website at http://www.bma.org.uk.
9. Research Governance Framework for Health And Social Care: Modernisation of NHS R&D Funding A Research Governance Framework for Health and Social Care has been placed on the Department's R&D website (http://www.doh.gov.uk/research) together with a cover note from Lord Hunt to NHS Authorities. Letters from Lord Hunt to CEs of Local Authorities and Research Partners regarding the framework have also been placed on this website. Action: NHS bodies are asked:
Research Governance Framework and letters from Lord Hunt http://www.nhsetrent.gov.uk/trentrd/resgov/govhome.htm Ref. 23417. Hard copies will be available w/c 12/3/01.
10. Letter from Professor Sir John Pattison to Chief Executives of NHS organisations receiving R&D funding. Sir John Pattison the Director of Research and Development has just written to Chief Executives of NHS organisations receiving R&D funding about progress on the reform programme to modernise NHS R&D funding. The letter highlights priorities and actions for 2001-02 and 2002-03. It focuses on the work required to ensure that R&D governance systems are in place and to establish operational arrangements for the new funding streams of NHS Support for Science and NHS Priorities and Needs R&D. A timetable is included for how this is to be achieved. The letter and related documents have been placed on the Department's R&D web page (http://www.doh.gov.uk/research) to provide more details for those involved in managing these developments, and for all others with interests in the development of NHS R&D funding. Letter and accompanying documents http://www.doh.gov.uk/research/rd3/nhsrandd/newfunding.htm
11. MET Office Workload Forecasts WEST and the Met office are issuing twice weekly workload forecasts, which will bring together the following information:
There are two levels of information:
We expect all those involved in responding to winter demand both in trusts and primary care to use the information as part of the management data-set when planning their organisations continued response to winter pressures. The forecasts can be obtained on the NHS web on the following address: http://nww.doh.nhsweb.nhs.uk/winter
NHS / Social Care interest
12. LAC 2001/6 HSC2001/006 Better Care Higher Standards Guidance for 2001/02 This LAC/HSC is issued jointly by DH and DETR and sets out guidance and good practice on the development of joint local Better Care Higher Standards charters for people who need long term care and their carers. An annex to the guidance provides examples of good practice based on the Nuffield Institute analysis of the first round of charters developed in 2000/01. Social Services authorities with their NHS and housing authority partners should apply the guidance and consider the good practice identified when drawing up their charters for 2001/02 and beyond. This guidance and its annex providing advice on good practice, a full report of the Nuffield Institute analysis, an Executive Summary of the Nuffield analysis and full copies of the example charters used in the annex are available on the DH web site at www.doh.gov.uk/longtermcare/index.htm Ref. 23418. 13. National Service Framework for Mental Health - Workforce Action team (WAT) You will wish to note the third WAT Newsletter giving more details about the work of the WAT has now been placed on the NSF website - www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/mentalhealth.htm
Social Care Interest
14. Foot and Mouth Outbreak: Advice For Essential Workers Guidance Note for Social Care and NHS Staff delivering essential services An initial guidance note that provides the agreed MAFF line for all providers of essential social care and health services. Covering visits by staff to farms, general advice about disinfection and precautions needed. Links to MAFF web site and MAFF Helpline number (0845 0504 141). Guidance note http://www.doh.gov.uk/scg/footandmouth.htm MAFF web site
15. Use of Internet for reporting of Social Services data for 2000-2001 to DH The list of statistical returns that DH will be asking Councils with Social Services responsibilities to complete for the year 2000 - 2001 and the timetable for return has been placed on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/public/pss2001ret.htm A copy has also been sent to information contacts within each authority. The majority of returns, including the Key Statistics return are due for return by 31 May 2001. 16. Reporting of data electronically The reporting of Social Services statistics to DH via paper returns is cumbersome and inefficient for everyone concerned. Validation of data is generally not easy with paper returns, and this is a particular problem with data extractions of the kind required for some of the larger and more complex datasets. DH are therefore introducing this year a new set of "electronic options" for the reporting of Social Services data. These are:
The electronic forms are the same as the paper ones - this will enable LAs who have already set up download facilities for their forms to take full advantage of the new methods. We will be writing to Information contacts to let them know how the new Internet Data Collection (IDC) facility works. If you are interested, the details will be given under "Developments in Statistical Collections" on the DH Home Page of Internet at www.doh.gov.uk/lettertolasfeb2001.htm. We very much hope that most LAs will make use of this new facility, as it will help speed up the collection and analysis and therefore feedback of data to local authorities.
17. The Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 The Carers and Disabled Children Act 2000 comes into force on 1 April 2001. Policy and practice guidance is currently available on the Government web site www.carers.gov.uk. This meets the Department of Health commitment that guidance will be available one month before implementation to better enable social services departments to plan for implementation of the Act. In addition three boxed sets of guidance will be delivered to each director of social services later this month. Further copies may be obtained from 1 April via
Ref. 23419
The Chief Executives' Bulletin is sent to NHS and Local Authority Chief Executives and Directors of Social Services. It is e-mailed weekly on a Thursday. The Bulletin tells you of all circulars and other material published, where to find them and whether hard copies have been mailed. This e-mail alerts you to the latest Bulletin but does not have "live" links to individual documents. Please use the link below to access a web version with direct links to individual documents http://www.doh.gov.uk/http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Bulletins/theweek/Chiefexecutivebulletin/index.htm You can either print copies of documents from the website or order items appearing in the Bulletin from the Responseline 08701 555 455, unless individual items give alternative arrangements. If you would like to amend e-mail details please send an e-mail to: email-addresses@doh.gsi.gov.uk
If you have any difficulties or would like to comment on the Bulletin please let Philip Jepson know by e-mail to pjepson@doh.gsi.gov.uk, by faxing 0113 254 5800 or by writing to: Communications Directorate, Department of Health, Rm 3N34A Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds LS2 7UE.
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 Page |
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