Safe working plan for general practice
The BMA has published Safe working levels in general practice, this report discusses measures which could help tackle the increasing workload in the specialty. The report also considers the potential impact of ‘locality hubs’ a central facility where demand, patient lists and safe working limits would be managed for a number of local practices and suggests GPs could benefit from the integration, collaboration and flexible employment patterns potentially on offer.

Motor neurone disease online resource
The Royal College of Nursing in conjunction with the Motor Neurone Disease Association has launched a new online resource to improve knowledge and provide support for nurses treating people living with Motor Neurone disease. The resource covers both clinical understanding of the condition and best practice in dealing with difficult ethical issues.

NHS England statement on Sustainability and Transformation Plans – NHS England
Commenting on stories on local Sustainability and Transformation Plans, a spokesperson for NHS England said: “We need an NHS ready for the future, with no one falling between the cracks. To do this, local service leaders in every part of England are working together for the first time on shared plans to transform health […]

Local transformation plans are about improvement and sustainability, says Stephen Dalton – NHS Confederation
Responding to reports about local Sustainability and Transformation Plans, NHS Confederation Chief Executive Stephen Dalton says it is too simplistic to look at them in terms of cuts.

STPs: A mile wide and an inch deep? – NHE
Dr Mark Spencer, co-chair of the New NHS Alliance, explains why sustainability and transformation plans (STPs) seem to be more about slash and burn rather than transformation at present. I recently heard a phrase that was used in the context of how to go about making sustained and meaningful change. The analogy was to look at an…

Five facts about diversity on NHS boards – BMJ
A report last week by the Labour Party’s health team has highlighted a lack of diversity on NHS boards in England.

MHRA issues patient safety warning over medical apps – NHE
Apps designed to help patients monitor their health must be assessed to ensure that they are medically accurate and safe to use, the Medical and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has said. The MHRA has published new guidelines designed to allow users and designers to see if their app complies with safety regulations. An…

Failure to address social care funding risks undermining NHS – NHS Confederation
Without adequately funded social care, the sustainability of the entire health and care sector risks being undermined, the Confederation warns.

Consultation on revised guidance on returning to practice –  Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC)
This consultation seeks views and comments on draft revised guidance on returning to practice for professions who are currently not practising or considering a break in their practice. The proposed changes include a restructure of the guidance to provide additional clarity on what is meant by ‘practising your profession’ as well as certain aspects of the requirements. The consultation runs until 7 October 2016 and the updated guidance is expected to be launched in 2017.

Promoting staff benefits through events – NHS Employers
This case study examines how Dorset Healthcare University NHS Foundation Trust raised awareness of staff benefits through a series of interactive roadshows. The roadshows helped the trust to communicate to staff across a large geographical area and also helped the trust to increase the trust bank and therefore reduce agency spending.

STPs – early areas of action –  38 Degrees
38 Degrees commissioned Incisive Health to review all publicly available documents on sustainability and transformation plans (STPs). This report brings together all the available information and identifies key emerging themes in the plans. It identifies the NHS deficit as a key driver of some of the measures outlined within STP footprint plans, alongside service transformation to support quality improvement.

Details emerge of plans to cut NHS services in England  – The BMJ
Details have emerged of plans to cut NHS services as part of a major reorganisation of care across England. Proposals to close hospital wards, shut or downgrade emergency departments, and reduce hospital bed numbers were included in draft “sustainability and transformation plans” (STPs) drawn up by leaders in the NHS, local government, and other local healthcare services. The details of the plans, which are subject to consultation and sign off from NHS England, were disclosed by the campaign group 38 Degrees, which commissioned the healthcare consultancy firm Incisive Health to collate and analyse the proposals.

New joints: private providers and rising demand in the English National Health Service – Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS)
This paper explores how NHS reforms to allow for entry of private providers has affected demand for elective surgical procedures. The study found that for elective hip replacements, at least seven per cent of publicly-funded procedures were conducted by private hospitals. Using clinical audit data, the report finds that these additional procedures are not substitutions from privately-funded procedures but that they represent new surgeries.

Quarterly performance of the NHS provider sector: 3 months ended 30 June 2016 –  NHS Providers
The findings of this performance report shows that the number of NHS providers showing a financial deficit fell by 20 percent during the first quarter of 2016/17. The provider sector is reporting an overall deficit of £461 million this quarter which is £5 million better than the planned deficit.