Contact the Library for further information on any of the topics listed below.

Working hours protections for NHS staff in doubt after Brexit – HSJ
Working hours protections for more than 1 million NHS staff could be in jeopardy in the wake of Britain’s decision to leave the EU, HSJ has been told.
Trade union leaders have said protections for staff on the Agenda for Change pay framework would be need to be re-examined and if necessary “contractualised” to ensure they are not lost. Christina McAnea said the result ‘puts the government’s pay policy in jeopardy’. Friday’s landmark referendum outcome has thrown into the doubt the future of the European Working Time Directive and its impact on the NHS. It will cease to apply if the UK leaves the EU and does not join the European single market.

HSJ launches award to celebrate NHS’s European staff – HSJ
The contribution to the NHS by staff from elsewhere in the EU will be honoured by a new category in the 2016 HSJ Awards.

HSJ has decided to create the new award in response to fears that last week’s referendum result would mean NHS staff from the EU would no longer feel welcome in the service. The award will seek to recognise and celebrate the work of any staff member who left their home in another EU country and now works in the NHS. The award is open to clinical, support and managerial staff and entries will take the form of nominations from colleagues.

Keogh: We must make EU NHS staff feel welcome and valued – HSJ
The NHS’s most senior doctor, Sir Bruce Keogh, has called on NHS leaders to send out a message to European staff working in the health service that they are valued and welcome in the wake of Friday’s vote for the UK to leave the EU.

What does Brexit mean for NHS funding? – HSJ
The vote for Brexit and the economic and political turbulence that attends it have ushered in a period of huge risk and uncertainty for NHS finances, HSJ has been told.

A firestorm of uncertainty now menaces the NHS – HSJ
The greatest tragedy of the European Union referendum is that many people voted Leave in the sincere hope it would help the NHS by reducing demand. That is extremely unlikely, but in any case the other consequences of the result leave the service facing the grimmest set of scenarios since the early 1980s.

Competition and commissioning
The Policy Research Unit in Commissioning and the Healthcare System (PRUComm) has published Commissioning through Competition and Cooperation: final Report.  This project aimed to investigate how commissioners in local health systems managed the interplay of competition and cooperation in their local health economies, looking at acute and community health services.  The project consisted of case studies of four local health economies located in four CCG areas across England.  Case study sites comprised a mix of rural and urban settings and were located in the North (two), Midlands and London. 

Inequalities experienced by children
The Royal College of Nursing has published Inequalities experienced by children across the UK accessing the right care, at the right time, in the right place.  This publication highlights how the health care inequalities experienced by children are influenced by getting the right care at the right time and in the right place. It sets out the current policy context across the UK, spotlights some key areas and concludes with recommendations on the actions needed by all governments across the UK.

Acute coronary syndrome: patient booklet
The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network has published Acute coronary syndrome – Immediate assessment, diagnosis and treatment: a booklet for patients, their families and carers.  This patient booklet explains the recommendations in the SIGN clinical guideline; and helps to make patients aware of the tests and treatments they should expect to receive from the NHS. This booklet is a lay translation of the clinical guidelines and is not intended to be a general information leaflet. It is also available as a large print version.

End-of-life care resources
NHS Employers has developed a range of information and tools to train staff in end of life care.  The resources include: an overview of end-of-life care including where the strategy has come from and what work has been done nationally; benefits of investing in training including how it can build a skilled workforce for the future; case studies from NHS organisations; a list of e-learning resources and training programmes; and tools to implement an end-of-life care strategy in organisations.

Providing nursing care for trans people
The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has published Fair care for trans people: an RCN guide for nursing and health care professionals.  This resource is designed to help nursing and care staff to respond to the needs of patients and clients who identify as ‘transgender’.  The nursing community can, through its professional actions and interests, work to eliminate and significantly reduce prejudice and discrimination at both an individual and a societal level in partnership with a range of organisations, including those that represent the needs of trans people.

Prevention of mental and physical health problems in older adults
The Mental Health Foundation has published Evidencing the impact of and need for Acting Up. This report looks at a programme introduced in Northern Ireland in 2011 which offers opportunities for older adults to get involved in creative activities, specifically the performing arts.  This report builds on a limited but emerging evidence base regarding the impact of creative arts activities on the mental and physical wellbeing of older adults which can lead to significant improvements in memory, problem solving and physical and mental wellbeing.

NICE guidance/advice
Evidence summaries: new medicines
ESNM77          Moderate to severe acute post-operative pain: fentanyl transdermal system

Interventional procedure guidance
IPG560           Microstructural scaffold (patch) insertion without autologous cell implantation for repairing symptomatic chondral knee defects   
IPG561           Transcervical extracorporeal reverse flow neuroprotection for reducing the risk of stroke during carotid artery stenting
IPG562           Ultrasound-guided percutaneous radiofrequency ablation for benign thyroid nodules

Statistics

• NHS Sickness Absence Rates – February 2016, Provisional Statistics
• NHS Staff Earnings Estimates – March 2016, Provisional statistics
• NHS Workforce Statistics – March 2016, Provisional statistics