Delayed transfers of care improvement tool

NHS Improvement has published a beta version of the Delayed transfer of care (DTOC) improvement tool.  This tool has been developed to enable trusts, CCGs and local authorities to understand where delayed transfers of care are in their area or system.  It brings together data into a dashboard which, as well as showing where their biggest delays are, also allows users to track the progress of any actions.  To note: the tool is under beta testing for two weeks and should not be used for decision making.

Quality Premium 2016/17 performance

NHS England has published Quality Premium Awards 2016/17.  This document shows how CCGs performed against the Quality Premium Scheme indicators for 2016/17.

Clostridium difficile infection objectives

NHS Improvement has published Clostridium difficile infection objectives for NHS organisations in 2018/19, guidance on sanction implementation and notification of changes to case attribution definitions from 2019.  This document sets out the objectives for acute trusts and CCGs to make continuous improvement in Clostridium difficile infection care.

Cost of branded medicines

The Department of Health and Social Care has published Consultation response: proposed changes to the statutory scheme to control the cost of branded health service medicines.  The government has published its response to the consultation on proposed changes to the statutory scheme that controls the prices of branded health service medicines.  The government made some changes to its proposals in response to issues / concerns raised by respondents.

NHS performance monitoring

The King’s Fund has published How is the NHS performing? March 2018 quarterly monitoring report.  This quarterly report finds more patients are facing long waits for hospital treatment, with those experiencing the longest waits often most in need of treatment.  As demand for services continues to rise it’s very unlikely that meeting waiting time targets will become more achievable, with implications for how the NHS protects patients waiting the longest.

Employee engagement, sickness absence and agency spend

NHS England has published Employee engagement, sickness absence and agency spend in NHS trusts.  This report examines the relationship between staff engagement, sickness absence and reliance upon temporary staffing in NHS trusts. It is intended to support NHS organisations to build cultures of continuous improvement.

Highly specialised services

NHS England has published Highly specialised services 2017.  This Highlight Report provides detailed information on selected services and gives summary information on all the services in the Highly Specialised services portfolio.  This includes: which NHS providers deliver the services; the funding, activity, clinical outcomes and geographical equity access and the NHS England commissioning arrangements on behalf of the devolved nations.

Statistics

• Dementia Assessment and Referral December 2017 – Q3 2017-18
• Statistics on Women’s Smoking Status at Time of Delivery: England – Q3, Oct to Dec 2017
• Waiting times for suspected and diagnosed cancer patients – January 2018
• Diagnostics waiting times and activity for January 2018 and Diagnostics census – Q3, 2017/18
• Monthly hospital activity date – January 2018
• Referral to treatment waiting times statistics for consultant-led elective care – January 2018
• A&E attendances and emergency admissions – February 2018
• Delayed transfers of care – January 2018
• NHS 111 Minimum Data Set – February 2018
• Early Intervention in Psychosis Access and Waiting Time Experimental Statistics – January 2018
• Ambulance Quality Indicators: Systems Indicators – February 2018
• Ambulance Quality Indicators: Clinical Outcomes – October 2017

HSJ Roundup (contact the Library for further details)

• Consultants move to block medical director’s chief executive bid 
  Consultants at an acute and community trust have attempted to block the medical director’s potential bid to become chief executive amid allegations of bullying and intimidation.
• NHS ‘must be ready to evolve’, says NHS England digital chief 
  NHS England’s digital chief says the primary care payments model may need to “evolve” to accommodate new digital patient services such as the controversial GP at Hand.
• Former acute trust boss to lead six CCGs 
  A former acute trust chief executive is to head the new single strategic commissioner covering six clinical commissioning groups in Kent and Medway.
• NHS Improvement pays McKinsey £500,000 to advise on ‘purpose and model’ 
  NHS Improvement is paying McKinsey £500,000 to help clarify its purpose and work on a new organisational development programme, HSJ has learned.
• Trust chief: STP must be reviewed after ‘extraordinary’ winter 
  The new chief executive of Nottingham University Hospitals Trust has said the region’s sustainability and transformation partnership should be reviewed following “extraordinary” winter pressures.
• Kirkup warnings over scrapped community services ‘forward view’ 
  The safety expert who investigated the Liverpool care scandal has raised concerns over NHS England’s decision to scrap a “forward view” for community services.
• Contract talks complicated as BMA refuses to work with second union 
  The British Medical Association’s refusal to negotiate alongside another doctors’ union has complicated negotiations on the consultant contract, HSJ has been told.
• Hospital says patient died ‘due to dangerous overcrowding of A&E’ 
  The death of a patient in an accident and emergency department was “due entirely to the dangerous overcrowding of the department”, the trust’s medical director has told HSJ.

Our Fabulous NHS – Academy of Fabulous Stuff
***Get involved*** –  share your fab stuff!

• Expanding End of Life Care Project The Expanding End of Life Care Project [EEOLCP] was founded in 2018 by Ellen Soutter and Rachael Lambe who are 3rd year student nurses and Student Quality Ambassadors at the University of Chester and is the sister project to their End of Life Care Resource Project. The aim of the project is to improve student […]
• #EndPJParalysis70daychallenge – what do you need to do now?  What we need you to do at this stage…. •Right now – it’s encouragement, support and sharing information of the Challenge •Collect your data of the number of patients up, dressed and moving from 17 April -26 June in your ward/unit level •Share your stories and pictures on the special 70 day #endPJparalysis challenge […]
• EOL Swan Scheme – Ring bags Small things do really make a difference.   United Lincolnshire Hospitals has adopted the Swan Scheme which is a nationally reconised framework for dignity in death and is used across almost 50 acute Trusts in England. A relative of one of our patients thought it would a great idea and more personal to make small […]
• Service with a smile Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is pleased to share that a member of our staff has been shortlisted for an award for going above and beyond to make a positive experience for our patients. Christina Moulding, Healthcare Assistant for our Delivery Suite at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals has been shortlisted for a “Service with a […]
• Celebrating our apprentices During National Apprenticeship Week Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been celebrating all of our fantastic apprentices that make a great impact for our teams. Lancashire Teaching Hospitals has recently been recognised in the prestigious Centrica Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer list. We currently have 300 apprentices across our organisation, in an array of departments […]
• First High BMI Patient Undergoes Robotic Surgery Robotic surgery has successfully treated a cancer patient with a high BMI for the first time at the Cancer Centre at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Keyhole procedures, which are less invasive and speed up recovery, can be inappropriate for patients with a high BMI, and open surgery may not be an option either […]
• Patient inspires Gail’s passion for medical research Gail Wiley, Oncology Research Practitioner, at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT), began her nurse training at the Royal Lancaster Infirmary (RLI) in 1977 and trained on the chest ward. It was here that she cared for a patient who had terminal lung cancer and the experience inspired her to do more […]
• “The Bluebell Room” within the Emergency Department Following a busy night shift worked within the Emergency Department at Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust , Registered Nurse Natalie Bradbury reflected on her experience caring for one particular patient who had been brought into the department as an emergency, who already distressed by the experience was clearly then overwhelmed and frightened by the […]