Knowledge @lert for Monday 6th October

October 6, 2014 Daily News

NICE tenders for safe staffing guidelines support – Health Service Journal
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is tendering for a team of outside advisers to provide economic modelling to help it draw up safe staffing guidelines.

New bailout conditions for struggling trusts outlined – Health Service Journal Article
The government plans to attach new conditions to bailouts for financially struggling trusts, a health minister has revealed. Government bailouts for financially struggling trusts could have extra conditions attached under plans outlined by Dan Poulter this week.

Cancer Patient Experience Survey: Insight Report And League Table 2014 – Macmillan Cancer Support
This briefing analyses the results of the 2014 cancer patient experience survey and finds that eight out of ten of the trusts ranked lowest for patient experience are in London. It does also highlight signs of London trusts efforts in improving the quality of care for cancer patients. The accompanying BMJ study discusses the performance of London NHS trusts in cancer care for patients in further detail.

Guidelines developer’s handbook
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network has updated SIGN 50: a guideline developer’s handbook. Although this reference tool has been designed for use by individual members of SIGN guideline development groups as they work through the guideline development process, the principles may be useful for the development of other guidelines. It includes sections on: systematic literature review; assessing the quality of evidence; making recommendations; consultation and peer review; presentation and publication; implementation; and involving patients and their representatives.

National Diabetes Audit
The tenth report from the National Diabetes Audit has been published. National Diabetes Audit – 2012-2013: Report 1, care processes and treatment targets shows that diabetes patients aged under 40 receive fewer vital checks and less often hit treatment targets than older age groups. The report presents findings for the care of over two million people in England and Wales with diabetes, examining key care processes and treatment target achievement rates from 2012-2013. A second report from the audit will be published later in the year; this report will look at the complications of diabetes and mortality.

Person-centred care
The Health Foundation has published Person-centred care: from ideas to action. This report brings together the evidence on shared decision making and self-management support, with the aim of providing greater coherence and clarity in debates about person-centred care. They have also published an accompanying learning report Ideas into action: person-centred care in practicewhich examines the practical lessons identified in the research. It identifies needs what needs to be done to embed shared decision making and self-management support in day-to-day, routine NHS practice.

Inspection of GP out-of-hours services
Inspections of 30 NHS GP out-of-hours services by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) have found many examples of excellent practice but also identified variation in the quality of safety and care. Our new approach to the inspection of NHS GP out-of-hours services: findings from the first comprehensive inspections is a high-level overview of the first comprehensive inspections of NHS GP out-of-hours services. Between January and March 2014, they inspected 30 services, run by 24 registered providers. Overall, they found that the majority of services were safe, effective, caring, responsive and well-led. Examples of good practice were identified by the CQC and are included throughout this report.

Recovering costs of care from visitors and migrants
The Department of Health has published EHIC incentive scheme: Frequently Asked Questions. This document accompanies information published in August 2014 to help NHS trusts manage overseas visitors and migrant charging.

NICE Quality Standard: transient loss of consciousness
NICE has published a new Quality Standard Transient loss of consciousness (QS71). This quality standard covers the assessment, diagnosis and specialist referral of adults and young people (aged 16 and older) who have experienced a transient loss of consciousness. Tools and resources have also been published to help put the guidance into practice which include slide sets, audit tools, uptake reports and recommended research.

Evidence summaries: unlicensed/off-label medicines – Migraine prophylaxis
NICE has published an unlicensed or off-label medicine evidence summary ESUOM33 Migraine prophylaxis: flunarizine. Evidence summaries: unlicensed or off-label medicine’ present the published evidence for selected unlicensed or off-label medicines that are considered to be of significance to the NHS, where there are no clinically appropriate licensed alternatives. The summaries provide information for clinicians and patients to inform their decision-making and support the construction and updating of local formularies. The strengths and weaknesses of the relevant evidence are critically reviewed within this summary, but this summary is not NICE guidance.

NICE diagnostics guidance
NICE has issued new diagnostic guidance Myocardial infarction (acute): Early rule out using high-sensitivity troponin tests (Elecsys Troponin T high-sensitive, ARCHITECT STAT High Sensitive Troponin-I and AccuTnI+3 assays) (DG15). NICE diagnostics technologies guidance is designed to help the NHS adopt efficient and cost‑effective medical diagnostic technologies more rapidly and consistently.Tools and resources have also been developed to enable the guidance to be put into practice. These include slide sets, audit tools, uptake reports and recommended research.

DH evidence to Doctors’ and Dentists’ pay review bodies
The Department of Health has published Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB) review for 2015: written evidence from the Department of Health 2015-16. This document provides evidence from the Department of Health to the Review Body on Doctors’ and Dentists’ Remuneration (DDRB). Pay rises for doctors and dentists who work for the NHS are determined by the government in light of recommendations made by the DDRB. The independent review bodies take evidence from the four UK governments, trades unions and NHS employers before making their recommendations.

EU clinical trials regulation
The NHS European Office (part of NHS Confederation) has published a briefing The new EU Clinical Trials Regulation: how NHS research and patients will benefit. A new EU law will address shortcomings of the existing EU Clinical Trials Directive, which contributed to a significant decrease in the number of clinical trials conducted in the UK. This briefing outlines the key changes made by the new EU Regulation on clinical trials and what they mean for the NHS. This briefing will be of interest for all involved in clinical research, including senior board members.

Allied health professionals: quality of care
The Health Foundation has published Focus on Allied health professionals: can we measure quality of care? This QualityWatch report, published in partnership with the Nuffield Trust, explores how best the quality of care delivered by allied health professionals can be measured, and presents the key findings from the available data. The report aims to provide an independent picture of the quality of care, and is designed to help those working in health and social care to identify priority areas for improvement.

GMS contract changes 2015/16
NHS Employers and the General Practitioners Committee of the BMA have announced changes to the GMS contract in England for 2015/16. The focus of the changes is on a named, accountable GP for all patients, publication of GPs’ average net earnings and commitment to expand and improve the provision of online services.

Strategic commissioning of long term care for older people
The Laing Buisson research organisation has published Strategic commissioning of long term care for older people: can we get more for less? This paper aims to analyse the state of the UK market in care services for older people, to identify the market failures and achievements and to ask if there are any ways to correct the failures especially the key issue regarding the mismatch between public sector commissioners’ need to contain costs in an extended period of austerity, and providers’ need to earn an adequate return in order to sustain existing services and develop new services.

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