Cap on clinical negligence costs could save £400m, says Litigation Authority – Health Service Journal 
The health service could save £400m a year if the government changed the law to fix the costs for clinical negligence schemes alongside other measures, the NHS Litigation Authority has said. Fixed costs for clinical negligence schemes could save NHS £400m a year, says review Litigation Authority says action needed to tackle rise in claims costs DH could consider delegating the authority to settle smaller legal claims to trusts.

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Short and long term fixes for workforce pressures – Health Service Journal 
Workforce pressures are bound to rise, so it is important to explore short term solutions such as overseas staff and return to practice, as well as longer term fixes including more training and flexible contract frameworks.  Unprecedented demand for nursing and other frontline staff across the NHS means trusts are increasingly reliant on recruitment from overseas and agency staff to plug gaps. With the government promising to bring down spending on agency staff, while also pledging to move towards a seven day service, workforce pressures are unlikely to diminish.

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New organisational models of primary care to meet the future needs of the NHS: A brief overview of recent reports – RAND
An overview of reports from professional bodies and policy-focused organisations — both national and international — that describe new models for delivering primary care including:

• Models that introduce new roles or change existing roles in general practice
• Models of collaboration among professionals and among sectors (primary care, secondary care and social care)
• New organisational forms for general practice
• Facilitators of the adoption of new models of primary care
• Compiled for the Health Education England Primary Care Workforce Commission to support their report ‘The future of primary care: creating teams for tomorrow’

Plan, learn and organise with MIMS Learning
MIMS Learning, a new educational website, is now live – giving you 400+ free learning modules, a reflective note-taker and personal CPD organiser, learning plans on key topics and an easy way to export your learning to your appraiser.

• Over 300 free accredited CPD modules across key therapy areas
• Learning plans with bespoke packages of content
• An integrated CPD organiser where you can make notes linked to MIMS Learning activities and other websites, upload documents and export learning
• A personal dashboard with a running total of CPD credits earned from the start of the appraisal year and the option to filter notes by type of CPD and topics

MIMS Learning replaces myCME.co.uk and will support best practice in primary care by helping GPs and nurses keep up-to-date and raise the standard of their clinical work.

Dementia prevalence
The House of Commons library has published Dementia: statistics on prevalence and improving diagnosis, care and research. This briefing paper outlines Government, NHS and other statutory bodies’ work to improve dementia diagnosis, care and support and research. It also includes statistics, tables and maps on age-adjusted dementia prevalence across the UK, including for each English Parliamentary constituency.

Hepatitis C in the UK
The Department of Health has published Hepatitis C in the UK: 2015 report. This report describes the progress that has been made in some areas in tackling hepatitis C infection but also highlights the work that still needs to be done to curtail the increasing burden of end stage liver disease and liver cancer caused by hepatitis C infection.
Additional link:  World Hepatitis Day (28 July 2015)

MenB vaccine: poster for A&E departments
Public Health England has published MenB vaccine: poster for hospital accident and emergency departments. This poster is for use in hospital accident and emergency departments and aims to encourage staff to check if a baby’s fever is due to a meningococcal capsular group B (MenB) vaccination within the previous 48 hours.  The MenB vaccine will be added to the childhood immunisation programme as part of the routine schedule in England from 1 September 2015.

NHS Constitution
The Department of Health has updated both the NHS Constitution and the NHS Constitution handbook. These publications are part of a suite of documents originally published in March 2012.  The Department of Health are currently producing up-to-date audio and easy read versions of the NHS Constitution.
Additional link: DH press release  

Information management retention and destruction in the Department of Health
The Department of Health has published Information management policy: retention and destruction. This document provides details of the general disposal decisions that the Department of Health applies to information and helps ensure disposal is carried out at the correct time.  The document can be used by DH arm’s length bodies if they have not developed their own policy. The document can also be used by someone considering making a Freedom of Information request, to understand how the DH disposes of information.

Revised code of practice for infection control
The Department of Health has published a revised The Health and Social Care Act 2008 Code of Practice on the prevention and control of infections and related guidance. This revised version of the code of practice replaces the edition published in 2010 and applies to NHS bodies and providers of independent healthcare and adult social care in England, including primary dental care, independent sector ambulance providers and primary medical care providers. The code now reflects the changes required to meet The Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 and the role of infection prevention (including cleanliness) in optimising antimicrobial use and reducing antimicrobial resistance.

Cancer Statistics
The National Cancer Intelligence Network has published Cancer statistics: availability and location. This updated document provides an overview about cancer statistics, including information on the latest statistics publicly available and where to find them. It is intended to be a useful reference guide for infrequent users of cancer statistics or for audiences that may not be familiar with this information.
(To view this publication click on the link above and then go to most recent). 

Commission on Improving Urgent Care for Older People
The NHS Confederation has launched an independent Commission on Improving Urgent Care for Older People. Comprised of leaders and experts from across the acute, primary, community and social care sectors, commissioners, patient groups and older people’s advocates, the Commission aims to put forward patient-centred, evidence based solutions that will be widely supported and practically applied in local health and care settings.

Pregnancy and Maternity-Related Discrimination
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equality and Human Rights Commission have published Pregnancy and Maternity-Related Discrimination and Disadvantage First findings: Surveys of Employers and Mothers. This report follows a programme of research to investigate the prevalence and nature of pregnancy discrimination and disadvantage in the workplace. The majority of employers reported that it was in their interests to support pregnant women and those on maternity leave and they agreed that statutory rights relating to pregnancy and maternity are reasonable and easy to implement. However, the research found that: around one in nine mothers (11%) reported that they were either dismissed; made compulsorily redundant, where others in their workplace were not; or treated so poorly they felt they had to leave their job.
Additional link: Royal College of Midwives press release

NICE Annual Review 2014-15
The NICE Annual Review 2014-15 has now been published and offers a snapshot of their work over the past 12 months. The review highlights how NICE  has engaged fully in the new role of providing guidance and quality standards for the social care sector, as well as continuing with the commitment to improving outcomes for people using the NHS and public health services.