Out now!

The Spring 2016 edition of our Revalidation Bulletin for nurses and midwives

Evidence from NHS Improvement on clinical staff shortages: a workforce analysis – Monitor
NHS providers have reported shortages of qualified clinical staff. This report looks at the causes and extent of current clinical staff shortages in acute hospitals, focusing on adult nurses and consultants. It also sets out the actions NHS Improvement is taking to help support providers facing workforce shortages.

Rocketing death rate provokes calls for national investigation – Health Service Journal
Public health experts have called for investigation after statistics showed the biggest increase in the national death rate for several decades in 2015. Preliminary figures indicate there were 5.4 per cent more deaths in England in Wales in 2015 than in 2014, and 6.3 per cent more than the average of the preceding five years.

• There were 5.4 per cent more deaths in England in Wales in 2015 than in 2014 – the biggest year on year increase in several decades
• Many of the deaths were during winter in early 2015
• Potential causes include public spending cuts and constraint, problems with flu vaccine, and random fluctuation from year to year
• Experts call for investigation by chief medical officer

The best and worst regions for delayed transfers of care – Health Service Journal
Delayed transfers of care have risen steadily for the past two years and are becoming a major area of policy focus during 2016. HSJ’s detailed analysis of local delayed transfers figures reveals:

• the areas in England with highest rate of delayed transfers per head of population;
• the areas experiencing the sharpest rises in delayed transfers;
• the most improved – areas which are succeeding in bending the curve of rising delays; and
• the strongest performers on delayed transfers.

Antimicrobial resistance
The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance has published its latest independent report Vaccines and alternative approaches: reducing our dependence on antimicrobials. This report assesses the problems faced in developing vaccines and alternative approaches to tackle drug resistance.  It sets out how the world could take action to encourage further innovation and improve the uptake of products.

NHS national tariff payment system 2016/17 consultation
Monitor and NHS England have launched an open consultation on proposals for the 2016/17 National Tariff Payment System. A suite of documents has been published detailing the proposals.  The aim of the consultation is to give providers of NHS services the space to restore financial balance and support providers and commissioners to make longer term plans for their local health economies. The consultation period ends on 10 March 2016

Acute hospital productivity
The Health Foundation has published Acute hospital productivity. It is an analysis of acute hospital productivity from 2009/10 – 2014/15. This briefing is an update to the April 2015 Health Foundation report, Hospital finances and productivity: in critical condition? This analysis shows that the productivity of acute hospitals in England has continued to deteriorate. Overall, the productivity of acute hospitals increased by only 0.3% between 2009/10 and 2014/15 an average rate of 0.1% per year. Between 2009/10 and 2014/15 as a whole, activity growth and input growth have converged leading to the very low level of annual average productivity growth.   

Priorities for NHS provider organisations
Monitor, NHS England and Public Health England have published Implementing the forward view: supporting providers to deliver. This report is for NHS provider organisations and is part of a series of planned roadmaps that draw on messages from the NHS shared planning guidance, which sets out the key priorities for the organisations responsible for delivering high quality health and care this year and beyond. Each roadmap reflects a shared vision for the health and care sector as set out in the Five Year Forward View about the challenges ahead.