NIHR Signals

• Adding low dose theophylline to inhaled corticosteroids does not reduce COPD exacerbations
• Combining mirtazapine with other antidepressants is not effective for treatment-resistant depression
• The benefits of commonly used blood pressure and cholesterol lowering treatment can last 16 years
• Antidepressants do not help treat depression in people living with dementia
• Home-based cardiac rehabilitation for heart failure has high rates of participation
• Thyroid hormone treatment does not help adults with mildly abnormal thyroid tests

NICE guidance

• NICE guideline

•  Interventional procedures guidance

•  Medtech innovation briefing

•  Medical technologies guidance

•  Technology appraisal guidance

GP partnership review
The Department of Health and Social Care has published GP partnership review: final report.  This report details the findings of the GP partnership review and makes final recommendations to the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care and to the CEO of NHS England.  The review has engaged with GPs and others with an interest to look for solutions to reinvigorate the partnership model and support the transformation of general practice.  The report is accompanied by examples of alternative business models.

NHS Constitution
The Department of Health and Social Care has published the following documents relating to the NHS Constitution:

• Handbook to the NHS Constitution for England – this new edition of the handbook is designed to give the public, patients, carers, families and NHS staff e information about the NHS Constitution
• Report on the effect of the NHS Constitution 2019 – sets out awareness and understanding of the constitution in the NHS; the impact the constitution is having on the NHS; and progress made and areas for improvement to help embed the constitution.

A&E high intensity users
Dr Foster has published High intensity users: reducing the burden on accident & emergency departments.  This report analyses accident and emergency attendances to identify the common characteristics of high intensity users (HIU) i.e. those people who attended A&E 10 or more times in a 12-month period.  It also explores patterns in HIU attendances to provide insight and a better understanding of the reasons they attend with such high frequency.  The analysis suggests a relatively small cohort of people are receiving a significant allocation of NHS resources compared to the average population.

National Clinical Audit of Seizures and Epilepsies for Children and Young People
The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership has published National Clinical Audit of Seizures and Epilepsies for Children and Young People (2018). This audit shows incremental improvements in some areas of paediatric epilepsy service provision alongside a considerable need for improvement in others.

Maternity and Perinatal Audit
HQIP has published the following National Maternity and Perinatal Audit reports:

• National Maternity and Perinatal Audit – Intensive Care Report – describes the feasibility of linking the NMPA’s maternity data to intensive care data and evaluates the suitability of rates of maternal admission to intensive care as an indicator of care quality.
• National Maternity and Perinatal Audit – Neonatal Report – explores the feasibility of linking the NMPA data, relating to women who give birth, to the National Neonatal Research Database which contains information about babies admitted to a neonatal unit.

Childhood obesity
The Department of Health and Social Care has published Childhood obesity: a plan for action: a consideration of interactions between modelled policies.  This document sets out how the policies in chapters 1 and 2 of the government’s childhood obesity plan could work together. DHSC has also launched a consultation on Restricting promotions of food and drink that is high in fat, sugar and salt.  The government is seeking views on its plans to restrict promotions of food and drink products high in fat, sugar and salt (HFSS) by location and by price.

Planning and contracting guidance
NHS England has published the following documentation to accompany the recent planning and contracting guidance:

• Technical and supporting guidance: NHS Operational Planning and Contracting Guidance 2019/20 – supports the submission of templates
• Annex B: Guidance for operational and activity plans – assurance statements – sets out assurance statement deliverables
• Annex C: NHS Improvement guidance to trusts for operational plans – contains the technical guidance for NHS planning for trusts for 2019/20 operational plans

Statistics

• Patients Registered at a GP Practice – January 2019; Special Topic – Publications using this data
• National Data Opt-Out – January 2019
• Recorded dementia diagnoses – December 2018
• Cardiovascular disease profiles – January 2019 update
• National Child Measurement Programme and Child Obesity Profile – academic year 2017 to 2018 update
• Patient Safety Alert compliance data – January 2019

Bulletin

• Drug Safety Update – January 2019

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

• Work Experience ELHT would like to share a new approach we have adopted to make meaningful work experience happen in both clinical and non-clinical areas.
• Working with the whole system to deliver an improved performance against the 4 hour access standard Working with the whole system to deliver an improved performance against the 4 hour access standard by taking steps to change culture and ownership to reflect the standard as a system standard rather than an A&E target.
• Reframing the 4 Hour Access Standard The 4 Hour Access Standard is a system standard which is most visible in Emergency Departments. That visibility in EDs often means it becomes misconstrued as an ‘ED Problem’.
• UHMBT’s use of technology in patient care praised by Chief Medical Officer The innovative and imaginative use of technology to improve patient care by University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay Trust (UHMBT) has been featured by the Chief Medical Officer in her annual report as an example that healthcare providers should aspire to.
• Unique and innovative follow up clinics introduced for patients Brand new, innovative follow up clinics have been introduced at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to improve patient experience and ensure that patients are receiving the best care possible for them.