A-Z
site index | Search
| Links
|
Contact
DH | Help
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
Medical
directors' bulletin: February 2002 Issue 8
Welcome to the latest edition of the bulletin for Medical Directors. It provides a practical summary of the latest developments in the implementation of the NHS Plan and in your area of work in the NHS - keeping you up to date as well as providing access points for further information. Please help us make these bulletins as helpful to you as possible by telling us what you think of the bulletins and how they might be improved, for example:
Please send feedback to Jeffrey.Graham@doh.gsi.gov.uk ContentsN.B. Items marked * have not previously appeared in other Department of Health bulletins. Trust services
NHS developmentSafety noticesInternational recruitment of consultants and GPs*Current initiatives and guidance to NHS employers on an infrastructure to support international recruitment is available at www.doh.gov.uk/international-recruitment The Department of Health has received over 500 applications to date from the global recruitment campaign. These are being sifted, with doctors from the European Economic Area being matched to posts initially. The Department is also working with Spain, Germany, Austria, Italy, Greece and Switzerland. Employers who wish to register funded vacancies for consultants and GPs to be included in the international recruitment campaign should complete the template on the website and email to the vacancy mailbox: International.Recruitment@doh.gsi.gov.uk Workplace health adviser *Dr Kit Harling joins the Department of Health on 7 March as adviser on workplace health issues and head of NHS Plus. Dr Harling has been consultant occupational physician at the Bristol Royal Infirmary since 1988, and is currently director of the new partnership occupational health service in Avon. In his new secondment, he will be responsible for taking NHS Plus forward as a major new initiative to extend the provision of occupational health services to the private and other parts of the public sectors. There are already 105 NHS Plus providers, and ministers hope to see the service grow considerably over the next few years. Dr Harling was founder secretary and subsequently chairman of the Association of NHS Occupational Physicians. He was also president of the Faculty of Occupational Medicine, and honorary secretary and past vice-chairman of the Specialist Training Authority. He has a special interest in the occupational aspects of blood-borne viruses and in the organisation of occupational health services. Treating NHS Patients OverseasThe first NHS patients to go overseas for treatment commissioned by the NHS have travelled to France. Further visits are planned shortly to France and to Germany as part of the pilot exercise taking place in the South East of England. The Department of Health is considering how best to manage the process of commissioning treatment for patients overseas in the context of the need to broaden patient choice and reduce waiting times. Guidance will be published shortly. The Department is contacting regions to discuss what level of demand they might have in 2002-03 which cannot be met within existing capacity, for example in hard-pressed specialties such as orthopaedics. For more information contact either Peter Huntley, Chief Executive of Channel PCG (Peter.Huntley@ekentha.nhs.uk; tel 01304 205706) or Tim Baxter, the lead in the Department (Tim.Baxter@doh.gsi.gov.uk; tel 020 7210 5740). Risk management in the NHSThe main organisations involved in NHS reviews, audit or inspections have formed the NHS Reviews Coordination Group. Their aim is to rationalise reviews of risk management in health bodies by better coordination and reducing duplication. The group has set out its principles at http://www.chi.nhs.uk/eng/cgr/risk_management.pdf The group's next step will be to consider arrangements for reviews of specific topics, starting with infection control. Website on independent provider acute activityIndependent providers representing the great majority of the independent healthcare sector have now published details of a large number of acute procedures they can undertake until March this year by location and by clinical specialty. This can be accessed by NHS staff on a secure website (note the NWW rather than WWW address) nww.pasa.doh.gov.uk/indhealth Click on "search" to go to the members' login page. To obtain a user-name and password click on register, complete details, request access to independent healthcare and submit. You will be notified as soon as your access is cleared. If you already have a username and password please e-mail pasaweb@doh.gsi.gov.uk requesting access to independent healthcare. If you have any problems accessing the website, please contact Suzanne Mew at PASA (suzanne.mew@doh.gsi.gov.uk). Transition arrangements for police checksThe Criminal Records Bureau goes live on 1 March and will be processing police checks from registered bodies. Applications to the local police force for police checks on staff should therefore cease after 22 February 2002. The CRB aims to respond to requests for standard disclosures in one week, and for enhanced disclosures in three weeks. Please contact Lucy Ashall at lucy.ashall@doh.gsi.gov.uk with any queries. Human Rights Information ServiceAn information service on the Human Rights Act 1988 is to be launched for Health Authorities, Special Health Authorities, Primary Care Trusts and NHS Trusts. The NHS Litigation Authority will be setting up the service in the spring. While not a substitute for legal advice, it will provide general and thematic information compiled from a comprehensive database of human rights cases and issues. Advice will be available on access to expert human rights legal services in individual circumstances. For further enquiries please contact David Towns on 0207 430 8702 or by e-mail: mailto:david.towns@nhsla.com Advertising Trust doctor postsSome Trusts are currently creating 'Trust doctor' posts, to meet service pressures and fill gaps which are becoming more of a problem now that junior doctors' hours (especially PRHOs) are reducing. In some cases these non-standard posts for junior doctors are being advertised in terms which imply that they count towards specialist training, when in fact they do not. Trusts are reminded that posts which are not formally recognised as contributing towards training should not be advertised as training posts. The expressions 'SHO' or 'senior house officer' should not be used in an advertisement for such a post, even where the narrative explains the post is not recognised for specialist medical training purposes. Trusts should work with Regional Action Teams on junior doctors' working hours to look at changes to skill-mix and rotations as a means to meeting targets on working hours. Single Assessment Process for older peopleGuidance is published on the internet on the new single assessment process for older people. It comprises eight documents: key implications for older people, social workers, nurses, therapists, GPs, and geriatricians and old age psychiatrists; guidance for local implementation; and annexes to the guidance. The guidance can be accessed at either www.doh.gov.uk/publications/coinh.html or www.doh.gov.uk/scg/sap Further details from Raymond Warburton, Department of Health, Wellington House, 133 - 155 Waterloo Road, London, SE1 8UG, telephone 020 7972 4286, or from NHS and social care regional offices. Mental Health Grant Guidance 2002-03The mental health grant 2002/03 circular sets out the conditions attached to the core grant and individual CSSRs allocations. It also provides the forms required for the administration of MHG in 2002/2003 and the final audit forms for 2001/2002. See http://www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/coin4.nsf/Circulars?ReadForm 'Caldicott guardians'The 1997 Caldicott review of personally identifiable information recommended that "guardians" of personal information be created. The guardians form part of a framework of quality standards designed to safeguard and govern the uses made of confidential information within NHS organisations. The Caldicott standard is now being extended into councils with social services responsibilities, in order to support joint working between health and social services. This document sets out the requirement for CSSRs to appoint a Caldicott guardian by 1 April 2002, and contains a suggested timetable for action. See http://www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/coin4.nsf/Circulars?ReadForm Implementing Patient Advice and Liaison ServicesA resource pack is now available to support the implementation of Patient Advice and Liaison Services in trusts. Based on the experiences of pathfinder PALS, it also includes core standards to clarify the role of PALS. Copies are available at www.doh.gov.uk/patientadviceandliaisonservices NHS record-keepingOrganisation changes arising from Shifting the Balance of Power will require action to secure existing NHS records and make sure records needed for current business are moved to where they are needed. The current guidance on record-keeping will remain the appropriate source of record keeping guidance for all NHS bodies, including StHAs and PCTs, as Shifting the Balance of Power policy is implemented. All controls assurance standards, including records management, have already been reformatted to include PCT guidance. The circular and appendices are available on the NHS records management website at www.doh.gov.uk/nhsexec/manrec.htm Hospital Episode StatisticsChief Executives and HES data quality nominees at NHS hospital trusts and PCTs can gain access via www.doh.gov.uk/hes/data_quality/sign_up.html to documents for the sign-up process for the quality of 2001-02 HES data. If required, paper versions can be obtained from the HES team (tel: 020 7972 6039). Chief Executives are required to indicate into which of two categories the data for their trust falls and return the signed document to HES at the Department of Health by 29 March 2002 at the latest. Any trusts that have not completed and returned their forms by the above date will be assumed to be content with the quality of their data. NHS Performance Indicators: national figures February 2002NHS performance indicators were published at national level on Friday 1 February 2002. The publication is available on the DH website at: www.doh.gov.uk/nhsperformanceindicators/hlpi2002 The detailed breakdown on the indicators at acute NHS trust and health authority level will be published later. Multiple sclerosis drugsA new scheme allowing specified disease-modifying drugs for multiple sclerosis to be prescribed on the NHS starts on 6 May 2002. See http://www.info.doh.gov.uk/doh/coin4.nsf/Circulars?ReadForm Redefining the NHSIn a speech to the New Health Network on 15 January, the Health Secretary addressed the reasons for change in the health service, the need to put patients first and the relationship between patients and the health service and the health service and government. For a full transcript, see www.doh.gov.uk/speeches/jan2002milburnnhn.htm Day surgery summitOn 23 January the Health Secretary held a day surgery summit at King's Healthcare NHS Trust. The aim was to discuss how day surgery might be expanded to provide faster, more efficient care for patients. Representatives attended from patients groups, the Royal College of Surgeons, British Association of Day Surgery (BADS), nurses, a GP, an anaesthetist, a chief executive of a strategic health authority, the Audit Commission, and the Modernisation Agency. At the summit Mr Milburn announced the appointment of Professor Ara Darzi as an adviser in surgery to the Department of Health. As part of this role he asked Professor Darzi to take away the points raised at the summit to develop a strategy to improve day surgery rates. Professor Darzi will undertake this task in discussion with BADS, the Audit Commission, the Modernisation Agency and other interested parties. He will also chair a summit of those hospitals that are performing below-average numbers of day surgery cases. Consultation on local authority health scrutinyViews are being sought on the Government's plans for local authority overview and scrutiny committees (OSCs) to represent democratically views on the quality, performance and development of health services to local NHS bodies. The consultation document builds on the proposals first set out in the NHS Plan. The consultation period lasts until 16 April 2002. The consultation document is available at www.doh.gov.uk/healthscrutinyconsultation. A hard copy of the document will be made available on request by ringing 0207 210 5055. To comment, e-mail the Department of Health on mailto:MBHealthScrutinyConsultation@doh.gsi.gov.uk, fax 020 7210 4902 or write toMB Health Scrutiny Consultation, Department of Health, Room 608 Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London SW1A 2NS Managing Demand: Referral WizardThe Modernisation Agency's demand management team has issued a tool to help improve services and reduce waiting times. Anyone involved in referring patients or delivering services where waiting times and numbers are an issue should find the 'Referral Wizard' useful. The product is available in three formats: Little Wizard, Big Wizard and CD ROM. It covers:
Further information about the Wizard products and access to the products is available at www.modernnhs.nhs.uk or www.demandmanagement.nhs.uk Delayed discharges - Change Agent TeamRichard Humphries, director of the new Change Agent Team to tackle delayed discharges, has announced a series of regional roadshows. All directors of social services and chief executives of strategic authorities have been invited to express an interest by 22 February to take part in the first phase of the team's work programme. Team working and effectiveness in healthcareThe Department of Health has recently published the findings from a major piece of research into team working in the NHS, undertaken by the Universities of Aston, Glasgow, Leeds and Sheffield. The research provides an evidence base for the effectiveness of teams and also advises on how to stimulate and support more good teamwork. The research output is designed to be of practical use to NHS staff in implementing teamworking. The report is also accompanied by workbooks for team members and for managers. The research summary and workbooks are available on http://www.aston.ac.uk, or on request from a.m.harris@aston.ac.uk. These documents are supported by a full report of findings which is available from the University of Aston (Tel 0121 359 3611 extn 5045). For further information about this work or the HR R&D Programme please contact either John Wilkinson or Steve Gosling at Quarry House, Leeds (tel. 0113 254 6161 or 5853) Conference: 5 March - "Embedding Health Informatics into pre and post registration education and training for clinical health professionals"The NHS Information Authority is hosting a conference on the 5th March in London to raise the awareness of the present and future health informatics needs of clinicians ,and to share examples of good practice. The conference is aimed at those involved in the development, commissioning, regulation or delivery of clinical education. For more information contact Carol Line by fax 01962 844 711, e mail carol.line@nhsia.nhs.uk or see www.nhsia.nhs.uk Safety alertsThe following safety notices have been issued recently by the Medical Devices Agency. Full details at http://www.medical-devices.gov.uk
|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
You
are here: 