Chief Executive Bulletin
| 26
September - 2 October 2003, Issue 188 |
Contents:
NHS and social care interest
No items this week.
NHS interest
1. National guidance on safe administration of intrathecal
chemotherapy
2. New data collection on treatment for drug misuse: pending
ROCR approval
3. Primary Care Trusts - executive committee allowances 2003/04
4. Primary Care Trusts - chair remuneration - clarification
of Chief executive bulletin issue 186
5. Availability of funds to support the introduction of nucleic
acid amplification tests (NAATs)
Social care interest
6. The Community Care (Delayed Discharges Etc) Act 2003 -
guidance for implementation
7. Briefing on independent reviewing officers
8. The abolition of residential allowance
Further items of interest
9. Payments to smallpox response team members
10. Guidelines for GPs with special interests
11. Earned autonomy - two and three star NHS trusts and
PCTs
12. Good practice guidelines for general practice electronic
patient records (version 3)
13. New data items for collection from April 2004
14. Direct payments guidance
15. Amended dates for Implementing System Reform in the
NHS learning events
NHS and social care interest
No items this week.
NHS interest
1. National guidance on safe administration of intrathecal
chemotherapy (Gateway reference 2055)
The guidance has been updated and numbered HSC 2003/010 on 2 October 2003.
Action to implement this updated guidance should be taken immediately
with full compliance expected by 30 November 2003. A toolkit (including
a video) to support local induction and training programmes in intrathecal
chemotherapy is also now available. This updated guidance replaces HSC
2001/022.
Details of how to get a copy of the toolkit at www.doh.gov.uk/intrathecalchemotherapy
The guidance is at www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/coin4.nsf/Circulars?ReadForm
Top
2. New data collection on treatment for drug misuse:
pending ROCR approval (Gateway reference 2054)
Further to notification of the need for a new data collection on substance
misuse treatment, technical guidance and a spreadsheet template are now
available. Returns for the period 1 April - 30 September 2003 are due
for submission to the Department of Health by 21October via the SHA.
Guidance and the template at www.doh.gov.uk/cebulletin/drugtreatment.htm
Contact lisa.smedley@doh.gsi.gov.uk
Top
3. Primary Care Trusts - Executive Committee Allowances
2003/04
Ministers have agreed to an increase of 4.6% in Executive Committee
allowances. The increase is effective from 1 April 2003. PCT CEs are asked
to bring this to the attention of their Executive Committee members. Details
of the new allowances are contained on the primary care website. www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/pcts.htm
Top
4. Primary Care Trusts - Chair Renumeration - Clarification
of CEB Issue 186
Last year, as a consequence of Shifting the Balance of Power, Ministers
agreed that PCT Chairs should be remunerated at the same level as Chairs
of other NHS bodies. They also agreed that from 1 April 2002, the level
of remuneration paid to a PCT Chair was to be based on the 2002/03 HA
unified budget allocation to the PCT and thereafter this would be determined
by the annual turnover of the PCT.
The bandings for PCT Chairs for 2003/04 are based on each PCT's 2002/03
audited accounts and have been determined using the gross operating costs
of the PCT. The new bandings are effective from 1 April 2003.
More at www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/pecallowances.htm
Top
5. Availability of funds to support the introduction
of nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) (Gateway reference 1942)
The chief medical officer has announced £8 million to help support
NHS laboratories in England to convert to NAATs technology for diagnosing
genital chlamydia trachomatis infection. The Department of Health is seeking
bids from PCT directors of public health, co-ordinated by SHAs to ensure
all major laboratories in England use NAATs. All bids must be explicitly
supported in writing by PCT chief executives. Closing date for SHAs to
submit bids is Thursday 20 November 2003.
The bidding proforma and supporting letter is at www.doh.gov.uk/sexualhealthandhiv/chlamydia.htm
Contact peter.carter@doh.gsi.gov.uk
or call 020 7972 3878.
Top
Social care interest
6. The Community Care (Delayed Discharges Etc) Act
2003 - guidance for implementation (Gateway reference 1995)
The complete guidance for implementing this act sets out the new duties
and requirements placed upon NHS and social services bodies by the legislation.
The regulations relating to the notification process come into effect
1 October 2003 with full implementation and reimbursement charging effective
from 5 January 2004.
The guidance (HSC 2003/009: LAC(2003)21) is available at www.doh.gov.uk/reimbursement/guidance.htm
Top
7. Briefing on independent reviewing officers
(Gateway reference 2047)
The Draft Review of Children's Cases (Amendment) (England) Regulations
2004 and Independent Reviewing Officers' Draft Guidance were published
for consultation on 1 October 2003. This legislation coming out of The
Adoption and Children Act 2002 makes independent reviewing officers a
statutory requirement for all looked after children. The finalised requirements
are expected to come into force in September 2004. All responses should
be returned by 31 December 2003.
More at www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations
For a copy of the consultation document, contact nicola.sams@doh.gsi.gov.uk
or call 020 7972 4977.
Top
8. The abolition of residential allowance (Gateway
reference 2034)
The local authority circular LAC(2003)20 sets out guidance to councils
on the transfer of Residential Allowance. It is at www.doh.gov.uk/residentialallowance/index.htm
Contact adebayo.adekaiyaoja@doh.gsi.gov.uk
Top
Further items of interest
9. Payments to smallpox response team members
(Gateway reference 2023)
One-off lump sum payments payable to members of the smallpox regional
response teams are subject to income tax and National Insurance contributions.
The on-call/availability payments should be set in accordance with current
national contractual arrangements. Full details are available at www.doh.gov.uk/smallpox/smallpoxtaxletter.pdf
Top
10. Guidelines for GPs with special interests
(Gateway reference 1687 (diabetes) and 1704 (older people))
New guidelines developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners
and the Department of Health have now been released for GPs with a special
interest in the care of older people and in diabetes.
www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/gp-specialinterests/index.htm
Top
11. Earned autonomy - two and three star NHS trusts
and PCTs (Gateway reference 1847)
Supplementary information on the earned autonomies for 2003 has been published.
Guidance on how to access the individual freedoms and rewards is at www.doh.gov.uk/cebulletin/earnedautonomy.htm
Contact david.stocks@doh.gsi.gov.uk
Top
12. Good practice guidelines for general practice
electronic patient records (version 3) (Gateway reference 1591)
Updated guidance is now available. It has been commissioned by the Royal
College of General Practitioners' Health Informatics Standing Group and
has been written by a number of national experts who are users of clinical
systems and who include members of the standing group and the BMA's General
Practitioners' Committee.
More at www.doh.gov.uk/pricare/computing/
Top
13. New data items for collection from April 2004
(Gateway reference 2046)
Details of new data to be collected for looked after children and privately
fostered children were sent to local authority information providers on
30 September 2003. These items should be collected from April 2004. Data
for the year to 31 March 2005 must be returned to the Department of Health
by 31 May 2005. Details at www.doh.gov.uk/public/new_data_collection.pdf
Top
14. Direct payments guidance (Gateway reference
2057)
These follow new direct payment regulations (under provisions in the Health
and Social Care Act 2001) requiring councils to offer direct payments
to people using community care services with an assessed need and ability
to manage those needs. Order the guidelines from Department of Health,
PO Box 777, London, SE1 6XH. Fax 01623 724524, call 08701 555455, or email
doh@prolog.uk.com
More at www.doh.gov.uk/directpayments
Top
15. Amended dates for Implementing System Reform
in the NHS learning events (Gateway reference 2053)
Further to our invitation of 19 September 2003 to these learning events
for PCTs and SHAs, we have had to change the dates for the events in Leeds
and London. The new dates are at www.doh.gov.uk/cebulletin/systemreformevents.pdf
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 - ©
2003
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