Knowledge @lert for Thursday 18th August
NHSI outlines priority benchmark areas for STP consolidated business plans – NHE
NHS Improvement (NHSI) engagement support teams will be in place from September to closely work with the 44 sustainability and transformation plan (STP) leads to support the drafting and finalising of all consolidation business plans. In a letter to the CEOs and financial directors of all trusts and FTs, the regulator said it has created…
Bespoke funding for ‘atypical’ GP practices confirmed as Carr-Hill formula delayed again – NHE
The Carr-Hill funding formula, which weights GP funding based on population characteristics to ensure a fair distribution, has once again been delayed and will not be modified before 1 April 2018, NHS England and the BMA have confirmed. In a joint statement, the two bodies confirmed they would now “start the detailed…
Education and training tariffs: tariff guidance for 2016-17 – Department of Health
This document sets out the national tariffs for healthcare education and training placements in the academic year 2016 to 2017. It also outlines how the tariffs will be implemented and in what circumstances the national tariffs may be varied and how to do this.
Mayor calls for new approach to Bedford reconfiguration – Health Service Journal
COMMISSIONING: A “flawed” review of health services should be rejected in full rather than become part of sustainability and transformation plan for health and social care integration, according to the elected mayor of Bedford Borough Council.
Lincolnshire trust confirms night time A&E closure – Health Service Journal
ACUTE CARE: United Lincolnshire Hospitals Trust has confirmed it will go ahead with plans to close the accident and emergency department at Grantham and District Hospital at night.
What if antibiotics were to stop working? – The King’s Fund
The NHS if is a collection of essays that explores hypothetical scenarios and their impact on the future of health and care. Our aim is to encourage new thinking and debate about possible future scenarios that could fundamentally change health and care. This essay, by Professor Dame Sally Davies and Rebecca Sugden, explores a future in which antimicrobial resistance changes the face of medicine and health care.
NHS ‘heading into extremely difficult autumn’ amid rising rota gaps – NHE
Healthcare services and its professionals are “heading into an extremely difficult autumn”, the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) has warned as the latest workforce survey from the RCPCH revealed widespread staff shortages and rising rota gaps in the field. The survey, which has been collecting evidence since 2009, found that…
Paediatric rota gaps and vacancies 2016 – Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH)
This annual workforce survey compiles data and evidence on paediatric staffing levels and this year, participants have expressed serious concerns for the future of paediatric services as the gaps on rotas are increasing. The survey found that more than half of paediatric units is not meeting recommended staffing standards and to keep services running, consultants are increasingly providing unplanned cover in addition to covering their own roles.
Doctor shortage may see maternity unit downgraded – Health Service Journal
Doctor-led maternity services at Horton General hospital may be suspended from the end of September following a failure to recruit doctors.
South Coast trust in special measures after serious leadership failings – Health Service Journal
The Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals Trust has been placed in special measures after the Care Quality Commission found it to be inadequate.
Lack of clinical language tests for EU doctors ‘putting patient safety at risk’ – NHE
Post-Brexit negotiations should strive to ensure that the UK can begin systematically testing the clinical English language skills of dentists, doctors and nurses from the European Economic Area (EEA) to ensure patient safety is no longer put at risk, the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) has said. The royal college argued that current…
Performance data ‘fundamental’ to vanguards and STPs could be delayed – Health Service Journal
Community services performance data will be “essential” to delivering vanguard projects and sustainability and transformation plans and its publication should not be delayed, according to leaders in the sector.
Birmingham CCGs plan to merge by April 2018 – Health Service Journal
Three Birmingham clinical commissioning groups are planning to merge in April 2018, HSJ understands.
‘Confusion’ over new policies led to trust’s inadequate safety rating – Health Service Journal
QUALITY: Failure to filter new care policies through the workforce led to Humber Foundation Trust being rated inadequate for safety, the trust’s nursing director has said.
End of life care training
NHS Employers has published a case study from Leeds Teaching Hospitals detailing a tailored approach to end of life care training. In addition to trust-wide training opportunities, the palliative care and end-of-life care specialists offered bespoke departmental teaching and focused interventions to improve care within specific clinical areas. Staff at the trust reported an improvement in their skills and confidence in: symptom management for patients; facilitating end-of-life care at home; recognising end of life; and knowledge of community services.
Public Health Outcomes Framework: technical specification
The Department of Health has published Improving outcomes and supporting transparency: Part 2: Summary technical specifications of public health indicators. Following a consultation carried out during September 2015, it was decided that some of the existing Public Health Outcome Framework indicators and sub-indicators would be revised, replaced or removed. This document sets out the technical specifications of the indicators in the revised framework.
Feeling the wait: annual report on elective surgery waiting times – Patients Association
This is the sixth annual Patients Association report on hospital waiting times for elective surgical procedures in England. The report is based on data from 2015 and shows that on the whole, the total number of patients waiting over 18 weeks for surgery has risen to 92,739 from 51,388 since 2014. The report also highlights the most common causes for cancellation of surgery as well as the variation in performance across different regions of the country.
Person centred dementia care
Health Education England has released a new film highlighting the importance of person-centred care in enabling people in care homes to live well with dementia. Finding Patience – the later years continues to follow Patience and her family, who we were introduced to in the film ‘Finding Patience’ as she moves into a care home. The film explores the challenges faced by staff and demonstrating what good quality person-centred care looks like.
Dementia Atlas / NHS Health Check Dementia Pilots
The Department of Health has launched the Dementia Atlas. This interactive map of England allows people to make comparisons about the quality of dementia care in their area, on issues such as prevention, diagnosis and support. This week also sees the launch of the new NHS Health Check Dementia Pilots. Public Health England is working with Alzheimer’s Research UK and Alzheimer’s Society to extend the dementia risk reduction component of the NHS Health Check to all 40-64-year-olds at sites in Birmingham, Bury, Manchester City and Southampton City.
Major acute trusts already forecasting to miss control totals – Health Service Journal
Some of the largest hospital trusts in England are already struggling to meet their financial target for 2016-17, according to analysis by HSJ.
Local A&E review scrapped in favour of STP – Health Service Journal
ACUTE CARE: A standalone review into reconfiguring accident and emergency services at Bedford and Milton Keynes hospitals has been scrapped in favour of merging it into the sustainability and transformation plan for the region.
Agency cap expected to save NHS up to £800m in first year – Health Service Journal
The cap on agency rates for temporary staff in the NHS is expected to save up to £800m in its first year, NHS Improvement has said.
National maternity services audit in progress
A national audit of the care of women and babies looked after by NHS maternity services across England, Scotland and Wales is underway. The National Maternal and Perinatal Audit (NMPA) aims to evaluate a broad range of care processes and outcomes in order to identify good practice and areas for improvement. It covers care at home, in midwife units and in obstetric units. The first report is expected in 2017 and an interactive website will be developed to show audit results by maternity service, taking their context and case mix into account.
Statistics
- Care Information Choices, England– August, 2016
- Provisional Accident and Emergency Quality Indicators for England – May 2016, by provider
- Provisional Monthly Hospital Episode Statistics for Admitted Patient Care, Outpatient and Accident and Emergency data– April 2016 – June 2016
Bulletins
- NHS Workforce Bulletin – 15 August 2016