Cataracts in adults: management – National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE)
This new guidance argues that the decision to have cataract surgery should be based on whether the patient thinks surgery is right for them. It provides advice for patients and ophthalmologists to help them decide when surgery is appropriate, taking into account how the condition is affecting a patient’s sight and their quality of life, the benefits and harms of the operation.

International GP recruitment programme: application process guidance for commissioners – NHS England
This guidance document outlines the approach that has been agreed to delivering the international GP recruitment programme. It also details the process that should be followed by areas wishing to apply for funding to deliver international recruitment schemes.

NHS England’s national report to ministers on the Responsible Officer regulations and medical revalidation, 2016/17 – NHS England
At the end of the fourth year of implementation of medical revalidation, this report provides evidence of a steadily improving picture of engagement. The report also provides a national picture of revalidation as well as local level data on progress on medical revalidation.

2017/18 data security and protection requirements – Department of Health (DH)
This document sets out what all health and care organisations will be expected to do to demonstrate that they are putting into practice the ten data security standards recommended by the National Data Guardian.

Current, future and avoidable costs of stroke in the UK – Stroke Association
This report estimates that the current cost of stroke to the UK is £26 billion every year, a threefold increase from the previous estimated cost of £9 billion. The figures also predict that a growing and ageing population, increasing numbers of stroke survivors, and rising care costs are crucial factors behind the increasing financial burden of stroke over the next 20 years.

NHS pressures: future trends – British Medical Association (BMA) 
This analysis of NHS admissions and waiting times data estimates that emergency department attendances could increase to 24 million between October 2017 and September 2018. During this period, the analysis also projects that the number of patients failing to be treated within four hours of arrival at hospital could rise by 370,000.

Staff engagement at Ashford and St Peter’s – NHS Employers
Read our latest staff engagement case study looking at Ashford and St Peter’s Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s work around quality improvement.

The latest Signals from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Dissemination Centre:

• Multiple illnesses and end-of-life care drive high healthcare costs in old age

• Terbinafine is probably first choice oral drug for fungal toenail infection

• Talking therapy may relieve high levels of anxiety about health conditions

• Placing wet gauze on babies’ tummies speeds up urine collection

• Long-term antibiotics likely to reduce risk of recurrent cellulitis

• Carefully managed antibiotic use could halve antibiotic-resistant infections

• Second-hand smoke levels in Scottish prisons equivalent to living with a smoker

• Wider stakeholder involvement could overcome resistance to modernising healthcare services

• Individual support of nurses using electronic medicine monitors can improve HIV treatment

• Older people with acute coronary syndromes may benefit from routine invasive therapy 

HSJ Roundup (contact the Library for further details)

• STPs given targets for GP recruitment 
  Every sustainability and transformation partnership area has been set a target for the number of GPs it needs to recruit by 2020 by NHS England, HSJ has learned.
• Third Cygnet hospital criticised by CQC 
  A third young people’s mental health service run by Cygnet Health Care has been heavily criticised by the Care Quality Commission – which ordered admissions to be suspended unless it specifically approved them.
• Mid Staffs finally abolished after decade of scandal 
  The hospital trust at the centre of one of the worst care scandals in the NHS’s history will finally be dissolved tomorrow after three years as a shell organisation costing taxpayers £2.5m.
• New investigation into Vasco-Knight finances 
  A new inquiry has been ordered into the family finances of a former NHS executive who pleaded guilty to fraud earlier this year, in an attempt to force her to repay over £11,000.
• CCGs to share chief officer 
  A single chief officer has been appointed across neighbouring clinical commissioning groups in West Yorkshire.
• Backlog of 30,000 reports after vanguard IT system failure 
  The rollout of a multimillion pound vanguard project imaging system to University Hospitals Leicester Trust led to a 30,000 backlog in image reports, HSJ has learned.