How operating theatres are wasting two hours a day – BBC Health News
NHS hospitals could carry out 280,000 more non-emergency operations a year by organising operating theatre schedules better, a new study suggests.

RightCare pathway: stroke – NHS RightCare 
This pathway defines the key interlocking components for an optimal system for prevention and management and the priority higher value interventions that systems should focus on to address variation, improve outcomes, reduce cost and contribute toward a sustainable NHS.

Use of resources assessment: a brief guide for acute non-specialist trusts – NHS Improvement
The Use of resources assessment framework aims to improve understanding of how effectively and efficiently NHS providers are using their resources. By the end of 2019, all acute non-specialist trusts will have undergone an assessment. This briefing provides an overview for non-specialist acute trusts on the agenda for the onsite visit and other useful information.

Overseas patient upfront tariff 2017/18 – NHS Improvement
It is now mandatory for NHS acute trusts to collect upfront payment from overseas visitors who are not entitled to free NHS elective care. This indicative price list is to support providers in upfront charging.

Towards an effective NHS payment system: eight principles – The Health Foundation 
This report sets out eight principles for a future payment system, primarily arguing that clarity of purpose is required to refocus the system’s many objectives. It argues that that now is the ideal time to review the system, with vanguards and STPs already changing the way that care is delivered, while a two-year fixed payment by results tariff offers space for reform

Radiation risk with digital mammography in breast screening – Public Health England (PHE)
This review estimates the risks and benefits of breast screening in terms of deaths due to radiation-induced cancers and lives saved by digital mammography in the NHS Breast Screening Programme in England.

Working with other health and care partners: a suggested checklist for LPCs – Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC)
This briefing is aimed at local pharmaceutical committees and provides a suggested checklist on developing relationships with other health and care partners such as STPs, aspirant accountable care systems, CCGs and GPs.

Implementation guidance fundamental standard for sexual orientation monitoring – NHS England
This guidance supports the implementation of an information standard which will record the sexual orientation of all adult patients or service users across all health services and local authorities, where it may be relevant to record this information.

Performance tracker: autumn 2017 – Institute for Government (IfG)
This report finds that the government has spent over £10 billion in five years just to keep troubled services – such as hospitals and prisons – going and argues that the extra funding is not solving underlying issues that public services are facing. In the analysis of health and social care services, it finds that hospitals are spending more with no sign of improvement in key pressure points; adult social care is lacking a clear plan for what happens once emergency funding has run out; and GP numbers are not rising despite plans to improve services. The report calls for urgent action on policy and decision making in order to deal with the building pressures on public services.

The role of nurses in alcohol and drug treatment services – Public Health England (PHE)
This guidance describes the many potential roles of nurses in alcohol and drug treatment in England to help commissioners and providers of specialist adult alcohol and drug treatment services to recruit the right workforce to meet local needs.

Reward as part of an effective recruitment strategy – NHS Employers
This case study highlights how Northern Devon Healthcare NHS Trust used reward, within a clear recruitment strategy to attract employees, increase applications for roles, reduce agency spend and nursing vacancies.

“Am I meant to be okay now?”: stories of life after treatment – Macmillan
This report argues that the health and care system is failing to support recovering cancer patients with the physical and emotional trauma following treatment. It argues that the lack of appropriate aftercare is also placing pressure on the NHS with as cancer patients have 60 per cent more A&E attendances and 50 per cent more contact with GPs, 15 months after diagnosis.

Guidance: Guidance on overseas visitors hospital charging regulations – DOH
(Updated: Added ‘Upfront charging operational framework’ document.) This revised guidance is for NHS bodies who need to charge overseas visitors for NHS hospital treatment, under the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2017. The guidance incorporates changes that come into effect from 21 August 2017 and 23 October 2017. A full list of changes is in the Introduction. The guidance should be used alongside the regulations and any additional legal advice.We have also provided template letters, guidance and posters to help the NHS recover the costs of health care from visitors and migrants.

HSJ Roundup (contact the Library for further details)

• Trust chief orders review into ‘unfit’ IT system 
  Nottingham University Hospitals Trust is to commission an external review into an electronic patient notes system described by the trust chief executive as “not fit for purpose”.
• NHS leaders forced to scale back ACO plans 
  NHS leaders across Greater Manchester have had to scale back ambitions to hand new care model contracts to two new accountable care organisations, HSJ has learned.
• Deficit spirals at special measures trust 
  A troubled integrated trust is drawing up a three year financial plan after auditors warned it could record a deficit worth 16 per cent of its income.
• Trust board backs chief nurse over ‘unpopular’ ward closures 
  A nursing director has warned his trust that more wards may have to close due to a shortage of registered nurses.
• Trust reviews entire department waiting lists after inadequate rating 
  An inadequate trust is risk assessing every patient on its elective cardiology and ophthalmology waiting list in response to be being put in special measures earlier this month.
• Trust lost half its radiologists in private work row 
  Nearly half the radiologists at a hospital trust left the provider in a row about private sector work, HSJ can reveal
• CCG resists Virgin Care demands for more money 
  Virgin Care has demanded more money for a controversial prime provider contract it signed with commissioners in Staffordshire last year, HSJ has learned.

Our Fabulous NHS – Academy of Fabulous Stuff
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• Local clinicians work together to reduce the number of strokes Clinicians from across Lancashire and South Cumbria are coming together to try to reduce the number of people in the area that suffer strokes, and improve the services for those that do go on to have a stroke. Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the UK – almost two thirds of stroke survivors […]