Knowledge @lert for Tuesday 16th December

December 16, 2014 Daily News

Surveillance of surgical site infections in NHS hospitals in England: 2013 to 2014 – Public Health England
This annual report covers surgical site infection (SSI) data collected by NHS hospitals and independent sector NHS treatment centres.  Data in this report includes voluntary submissions and data submitted as part of the Department of Health’s mandatory healthcare-associated infection surveillance programme.  It includes information on the number of operations performed, data quality, benchmarks, trends and risk factors. SSIs

Additional Items

Antimicrobial Resistance Empirical and Statistical Evidence-Base – Department of Health
This report brings together the latest practical and statistical evidence on antimicrobial resistance. It was prepared by the Department of Health’s Antimicrobial Resistance Strategy Analytical Working Group.

Service hit by staff ‘exodus’ after CCG transfers contract to Circle – Health Service Journal
One of the biggest teaching trusts in England has been forced to axe its once renowned acute dermatology service due to an ‘exodus’ of medical consultants following the transfer of their contract to private provider Circle.

Better Care Fund policy framework
The Department of Health and the Department for Communities and Local Government has published Better Care Fund: policy framework. This document sets out the agreed way in which the Better Care Fund will be implemented in 2015 to 2016.  It includes the legal and financial basis of the fund; conditions of access to the fund; the assurance and approval process and the payment for performance metrics.

The National Health Service Trust Development Authority (Amendment) Directions 2014 – Department of Health 
These directions from the Secretary of State give new functions and powers to the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) from 1 April 2013.  It allows  for certain functions currently or previously managed by the Department of Health, strategic health authorities and the Appointments Commission. Two previous sets of directions are being revoked and their contents incorporated into these ones. The amendment requires the NHS TDA and Care Quality Commission to work together where there are concerns about the quality of care at NHS Trusts. This is to agree on whether the NHS TDA should recommend the Secretary of State to trigger the Trust Special Administrator’s Regime.

Specialist rehabilitation for people with Parkinson’s disease in the community: a randomised controlled trial – Health Services and Delivery Research
Multidisciplinary rehabilitation is recommended for Parkinson’s disease, but evidence suggests that benefit is not sustained. This paper looks at:

  • Implemention of a specialist domiciliary rehabilitation service for people with Parkinson’s and carers.
  • Provision of continuing support from trained care assistants to half receiving the rehabilitation.
  • Evaluation of the clinical effectiveness of the service, and the value added by the care assistants, compared with usual care.
  • Assessment of  the costs of the interventions.
  • Investigate the acceptability of the service.
  • Delivery of guidance for commissioners.

It finds further research is needed into ways of sustaining benefits from rehabilitation including the use of care assistants.

Organisational interventions to reduce length of stay in hospital: a rapid evidence assessment, Health Services and Delivery Research, Vol:2, Iss:52 Authors: Miani C, Ball S, Pitchforth E, Exley J, King S, Roland M, Fuld J, Nolte E.
Available evidence on effective interventions to reduce length of stay in hospital is wide-ranging and complex, with underlying factors including those acting at the health system, organisational and patient levels, and the interface between these. There is a need to better understand the diverse literature on reducing the length of hospital stay.

Eyes on Evidence
NICE has published the December issue of Eyes on Evidence which includes the following items:

  • Home based self-sampling to test for sexually transmitted infections
  • Risk of cervical or vaginal cancer in women treated for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia
  • Adverse drug reactions with new medicines
  • Reducing hospital admissions from nursing homes for older people
  • Short-term mortality after acute myocardial infarction

NICE Diagnostic Guidance
NICE has issued the Diagnostic Guidance Fluorouracil chemotherapy: The Fluorouracil chemotherapy: The My5‑FU assay for guiding dose adjustment (DG16).  NICE diagnostics technologies guidance is designed to help the NHS adopt efficient and cost-effective medical diagnostic technologies more rapidly and consistently.

Statistics

 

Knowledge @lert for Monday 15th December

Knowledge @lert for Wednesday 17th December