Welcome to the first edition
of a new series of bulletins for Medical Directors. These monthly briefings
will provide a practical summary of the latest developments in the implementation
of the NHS Plan and in your area of the NHS — keeping you up to
date as well as providing access points for further information. Any
feedback would be welcome, please contact Dr Jeff Graham at jgrahao@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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Winter
Report - 2000-2001
This report details how
the NHS, local councils and their partner organisations have met the
challenges of winter. It looks at the effectiveness of the preparations
set out in the Winter Plan and reports on performance
http://www.doh.gov.uk/winter/report.htm#intro
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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
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Resuscitation
policy
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 www.bma.org.uk.
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NHS
Professionals
NHS Professionals was launched
in November — a new approach to managing and providing temporary
staffing services.
The service will set the
standards for in-house NHS agency arrangements. In time it will provide
a nationwide service, delivered locally, offering Trusts cost-effective
access to health care staff across the full range of clinical and
support skills. Flexibility for employers and staff will be key to
the scheme.
NHS employers will also
be able to develop their NHS Professionals service to provide support
for international recruitment; routes back to the NHS, for those wanting
to resume their careers; and ‘keep in touch' schemes for those
taking career breaks.
NHS Professionals will
be implemented nationally over the next two years, with 15 areas due
to have services in development by April.
For more information see
HSC 2001/002 or contact Kate Bradley, National Project Manager,
tel. 0113 254 5292 or e-mail kate.bradley@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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Central
funding for specialist registrar posts
The NHS Plan made provision
for specialist registrar posts to be centrally funded from April 2002,
provided an agreement can be reached with the Specialist Training
Authority, the Joint Committee for Post Graduate Training in General
Practice, and the medical royal colleges on curricula and criteria
for training recognition.
The Medical Education Unit
is leading on the work on curricula and criteria for training recognition.
Postgraduate Deaneries and Regional Offices are leading the financial
work necessary to introduce 100% funding and will be in touch about
this shortly.
For further information
e-mail mike.newett@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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Care
Direct
Care Direct, the one-stop
shop gateway to information about social care, health, housing and
social security benefits, will be piloted next year in six local authorities
in the South West. The new service will give older people improved
access to these core services.
Subject to evaluation of
the pilots, it is expected that Care Direct will become available
in a further 30 local authorities in 2003/2004.
Information about the developing
project will be accessible from April 2001 on the Care Direct website,
www.caredirect.gov.uk
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Clinical
Evidence
The Department of Health
has negotiated central purchase of Clinical Evidence, a compendium
to facilitate evidence based 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 has been distributed widely throughout the NHS; Issue
5 will be distributed in the late summer. At the same time, Clinical
Evidence is being made available in an electronic format as part
of the National Electronic Library for Health.
Further information is
available at www.doh.gov.uk/research/whatsnew.htm
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Consultant
contract - negotiating proposals
The Department of Health
published its negotiating proposals for the new consultant contract
on February 21. These build on the commitments set out in the NHS
Plan to a consultant delivered service, supported by a contract which
gives the greatest rewards and recognition to those making the greatest
contribution to the NHS.
http://www.doh.nhsweb.nhs.uk/nhs/hr/consultantcontractproposals.htm
and http://www.doh.nhsweb.nhs.uk/nhs/hr/nhsclinicalexcellenceawardscheme.htm
Copies of the summaries
and the full documents are available on the web at http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhsclinicalexcellenceawardscheme/index.htm
http://www.doh.gov.uk/consultantcontractproposals/index.htm
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Annual
appraisal for consultants - Q & As
Advance
letter MD 6/00 was issued in December 2000. Attached are a number
of questions and answers that you may wish to consider should you
have any queries around application at http://www.doh.gov.uk/hrbulletin/hr6md6.htm
.
For further information
e-mail roy.pearson@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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Investment
and reform for NHS staff
This report, www.doh.gov.uk/invandreform,
published on February 15, sets out progress in delivering commitments
in the NHS Plan to increase the numbers of staff in the NHS and change
the way staff work to benefit patient care.
For further information
e-mail keith.baggs@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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Controls
assurance
A new Health Service Circular
sets out the key actions required to meet the controls assurance requirements
for the 2000/2001 reporting year and introduces a new standard on
Decontamination of Medical Devices. The circular also advises of the
establishment of a new support unit based at Keele University.
This circular should be
read in conjunction with
HSC 1999/123: Governance in the new NHS - Risk Management and
organisational controls assurance
Guidelines for implementing controls assurance in the NHS - Guidance
for Directors
HSC 2000/032 : Decontamination of medical devices
This document can be found
at http://www.doh.gov.uk/riskman.htm
and/or on NHS web http://www.doh.nhsweb.nhs.uk/nhs/riskman.htm
in the Publications and Bulletin pages.
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Starting
Dates For PRHOS and SHOS
The dates for the PRHO
years starting in August and the starting dates for SHOs on first
appointment for the next 3 years are shown below. The dates shown
in italics are the relevant start dates for newly qualified PRHOs
commencing in February:
PRHO - Tuesday July 31
2001 to Tuesday August 6 2002
(Tuesday February 5 2002)
SHO - start Wednesday August 1 2001
PRHO - Tuesday August 6
2002 to Tuesday August 5 2003
(Tuesday February 4 2003)
SHO - start Wednesday August 7 2002
PRHO - Tuesday August 5
2003 to Tuesday August 3 2004
(Tuesday February 3 2004)
SHO - start Wednesday August 6 2003.
Please ensure these dates
are used in the contracts for PRHOs and SHOs.
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MET
Office Workload Forecasts
WEST and the Met office
are issuing twice weekly workload forecasts, which will bring together
the following information:
- Respiratory Disease
and Flu Surveillance information
- Existing workload
- Weather information
http://www.doh.nhsweb.nhs.uk/winter
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National
contract for medical locums
The national contract for
medical locums is being used by 144 trusts across England. It allows
them to avoid the tendering process whilst ensuring that all the agencies
available under this contract abide by the NHS code of practice for
locum appointment and employment. Prices have been negotiated by the
NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency for all grades of doctor.
For a free briefing pack
please telephone Estelle Watts on 0118 9808814 or e-mail estelle.watts@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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Launch
of NHS plus
NHS occupational health
departments are being encouraged to join a national network of services
branded as ‘NHS plus' to sell occupational health services to
the private sector. Plans are moving ahead for the launch of NHS plus
in the autumn. The goal is to raise the profile and generate income,
which can be used to improve occupational health services for the
NHS.
For further information
e-mail elizabeth.johnson@doh.gsi.gov.uk
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Organ
Retention
A new Special Authority,
the Retained Organs Commission, is being established to oversee the
return of organs and tissue from around the country, where their families
want such material interred or cremated. This follows the publication
of the report of the inquiry into the Alder Hey Hospital, and the
Chief Medical Officer's recommendations on the issue.
More information at www.nhs.uk/retainedorgans
and www.doh.gov.uk/orgretentionadvice
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