Knowledge @lert for Thursday 31st May

May 31, 2018 CCG Daily News

Using patient data in the NHS
The King’s Fund has published Using data in the NHS: the implications of the opt-out and GDPR. This ‘long-read’ explores the use of data in the NHS, the systems in place for protecting it and what GDPR and the opt-out might mean for the future.

Also on this topic, NHS England has launched a six week public campaign to raise awareness of new stronger protections around patient information; the campaign will include commercial radio, national and website advertising. NHS England has also published Managing the Friends and Family Test (FFT) in line with GDPR which sets out the impact of GDPR on the FFT.

The House of Commons Library has published a briefing Patient health records and confidentiality summarising access to patient health records, electronic patient records, NHS data security, and the use of confidential information by the NHS.

Hypothecated funding
The King’s Fund has published Hypothecated funding for health and social care: how might it work? Hypothecation is the earmarking of a tax to be spend on a specific area of public expenditure. This paper examines hypothecation, sets out the problems it is means to solve and the conditions under which it might do so, and provides a brief history of hypothecation in the UK.

Managing increased demand in emergency departments
The Care Quality Commission has published Under pressure: safely managing increased demand in emergency departments. To better understand the issues faced by emergency departments, and identify areas where people could be at risk, the CQC held two workshops to identify best practice on addressing these risks to ensure patients are kept safe despite the operational pressures. The workshops focused on the key challenges emergency departments face during winter pressures, and identified practical solutions that trusts and the wider health and care system can put into action immediately to address these issues.

Emergency medicine audit reports
The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has published results from three audits undertaken within hospital emergency departments:

Funding to support and retain GPs
NHS England has announced a new £10 million fund to support and retain GPs. £7 million will be made available to help GPs to stay in the workforce through a new Local GP Retention Fund; guidance for delivery of this fund is provided in Local General Practitioners Retention Fund: guidance for NHS England Regional and Local Office Teams. A further £3 million will be made available to establish seven intensive support sites in areas that have struggled most to retain GPs. Details on these sites and plans for retention efforts there will be announced next month.

MSK Knowledge Hub
The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), supported by NHS England, has launched the MSK Knowledge Hub. The resources and forum are intended to provide commissioners and STP leads with resources, good practice examples, data and research to support them in improving MSK services locally.

NICE guidance

Interventional Procedure Guidance

IPG614 Endoscopic bipolar radiofrequency ablation for treating biliary obstruction caused by cancer

IPG615 Low-level laser therapy for preventing or treating oral mucositis caused by radiotherapy or chemotherapy

Bulletins