Delayed discharges and hospital type: evidence from the English NHS –  Centre for Health Economics
Delayed discharges of patients from hospital, commonly known as bed-blocking, is a long standing policy concern. Delays can increase the overall cost of treatment and may worsen patient outcomes. This paper investigates how delayed discharges vary by hospital type, and the extent to which such differences can be explained by demography, case mix, the availability of long-term care and hospital governance as reflected in whether the hospital has Foundation Trust status, which gives greater financial autonomy and flexibility in staffing and pay.

Delays in discharging patients 23% rise – BBC News – Health
Delays in discharging patients from hospital have risen 23% since June last year, NHS England reveals.

NHS Confederation comments on June 2016 NHS performance figures – NHS Confederation
Stephen Dalton, Chief Executive, NHS Confederation, comments on the June NHS performance figures published by NHS England today (11 August 2016).

New data demonstrates benefits to patients from a range of elective surgeries –
NHS England
Annual data for Patient Reported Outcome Measures shows patients who have undergone elective inpatient surgery for four common elective procedures – hip and knee replacement, varicose vein surgery and groin hernia surgery – are reporting significant health gains. The National Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) Programme began in 2009 and today’s publication of data marks […]

Regulating the duty of candour: a report by Action against Medical Accidents on CQC inspection reports and regulation of the duty of candour –  Action Against Medical Accidents
This study finds that CQC inspections of NHS trusts in 2015 were inconsistent and often superficial in how they assessed compliance with the duty. The report calls on the CQC to make urgent improvements to how it regulates the duty of candour and makes several recommendations to that end.

NHS misses key performance targets again in June – BMJ
NHS trusts in England continued to miss key performance targets as pressure mounted on services, new statistics show. Figures for June 2016 show that the NHS failed to meet major standards on access to urgent, emergency, and planned care.1 In June 90.5% of patients coming to hospital emergency departments were seen within four hours of arrival, a slight increase from 90.2% in May but below the 95% standard set by the government. Figures for nine ambulance trusts showed that just over 69% of ambulances reached the most serious callouts within eight minutes. It is the 13th month in a row …

New care models: FAQs from NHS England, NHS Improvement and CQC – NHS England

• New care models – FAQs
• Oversight of new care models: Key issues: your questions answered
• New Care Models: Information for providers July 2016

Junior doctors strike: Calls for fresh industrial action – BBC News – Health
Representatives of junior doctors call for fresh industrial action in their dispute with the health secretary about a new contract.

Junior doctors seek ‘rolling industrial action’ – Health Service Journal
Hospitals could be hit by a “rolling programme of industrial action” by junior doctors from as early as next month, according to an email sent to British Medical Association members tonight.

BMA JDC seeking approval for further industrial action – NHS Employers
The BMA Junior Doctors’ Committee (JDC) has advised they are seeking approval from the BMA Council for a rolling programme of industrial action in relation to the new junior doctors’ contract.

Chief executives warned over breaches to junior doctors contract – Health Service Journal
National leaders have warned NHS trusts not to breach the terms of the new junior doctors contract related to safer working hours guardians, after it emerged some trusts had failed to implement the role properly.

NHS Employers responds to a statement about possible further junior doctors industrial action – Latest NHS Employers
NHS Employers responds to a statement on social media from the chair of the British Medical Association Junior Doctors Committee regarding possible further junior doctors industrial action.

Creating effective hospital-community partnerships to build a culture of health –  Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence (HPOE)
This guide argues that effective and sustainable hospital-community partnerships are critical to building a culture of health. This means creating a society that gives all individuals an equal opportunity to live the healthiest life they can, whatever their ethnic, geographic, racial, socioeconomic or physical circumstances may be. This guide focuses on how hospitals and communities can develop and sustain partnerships.

Hinchingbrooke chair: Ditching Circle management structure key to turnaround – Health Service Journal
INTERVIEW: Replacing the management structure put in by the private firm which ran Hinchingbrooke Health Care Trust for three years was a key driver for turning around its performance, the trust’s chair has told HSJ.

Suspected sepsis: summary of NICE guidance – BMJ
What you need to know: “Think sepsis” in any person with suspected infection. Sepsis may present with non-specific symptoms and signs and without feverHave a high index of suspicion of sepsis in those…

Third of ‘excess pay growth’ trusts were told by CQC to improve staffing – Health Service Journal
More than a third of the 63 providers identified as having high pay bill growth by NHS Improvement had been told by the Care Quality Commission to address staffing concerns in the preceding year.

CQC confirms inadequate rating for Greater Manchester trust – Health Service Journal
PERFORMANCE: Penine Acute Hospitals Trust has been rated inadequate by the Care Quality Commission, following the first inspection of its services. The regulator raised concerns around staffing levels, infrastructure, systems, culture and leadership.

Clinical commissioning policy proposition on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis – NHS England
NHS England has launched a 45 day public consultation on a proposed clinical commissioning policy proposition on Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV.  There has already been extensive engagement on this policy and NHS England now wishes to test the policy proposal further with wider groups of stakeholders.  This consultation is being run without prejudice to the outcome of an appeal following a judicial review.

CCG abandons plan to suspend referrals to cut costs after public outcry – GP Online
St Helens CCG has abandoned proposals to suspend non urgent referrals after a public outcry.

Practice cuts A&E attendance and improves patient health through clinical health coaching – GP Online
A GP practice in Leicester has cut A&E and out-of-hours attendances and significantly reduced the number of home visits it undertakes after implementing a clinical health coaching programme for patients with long-term conditions.

What if people controlled their own health data? – The King’s Fund
The King’s Fund has published What if people controlled their own health data?This is another essay in the series from the ‘The NHS if’ series exploring the future of health and healthcare.  The author argues that people having control of their own health data can be part of a better health system but the health system needs to work hard to make sure the scenario achieved is one that realises the full potential of using health data, rather than seeing people opt out because they don’t see the benefits or their trust ebbs away.

Guide for clinical audit leads – The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership
The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership has updated their Guide for clinical audit leads.  This guide is intended to support clinicians who are responsible for leading clinical audit in clinical services and at senior levels in healthcare organisations. Clinical leads have a key role to play in ensuring that clinical audit delivers improvements in the quality of care, and this guide sets out the requirements of the role.  It should also be useful for medical and clinical directors and for clinical audit managers. 

NICE recommends ticagrelor with aspirin for three years post-MI – BMJ
Patients who have had a myocardial infarction (MI) should be given a low dose of the anti-clotting drug ticagrelor (Brilique) together with aspirin for as long as three years, new draft guidance from…

Leaving the European Union: what needs to happen to maintain the quality and standards of healthcare in the UK –  Academy of Medical Royal Colleges
Following consultation with its member organisations the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges has agreed a set of principles that should be followed to maintain quality and standards in the NHS and healthcare following the decision to leave the EU, This briefing also discusses specific issues that will need to be addressed by Government or other national bodies in negotiations on withdrawal from the EU.

NICE consultations
Cerebral palsy: guideline consultation.  Closing date for comments: 20 September 2016.
Hip fracture (update).  Closing date for comments: 22 September 2016.
Intrapartum care (standing committee update).  Closing date for comments: 6 September 2016.
Ectopic pregnancy and miscarriage: diagnosis and initial management.  Closing date for comments: 23 August 2016.
Lymphoma (Hodgkin’s, CD30-positive) – brentuximab vedotin [ID722].  Closing date for comments: 1 September 2016.

Statistics
Finalised Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in England – April 2014 to March 2015
Provisional Quarterly Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in England – April 2015 to March 2016
Combined Performance Summary – June 2016
Monthly hospital activity data – June 16