Are patients benefiting from better integrated care? Nuffield Trust
This briefing breaks down a range of indicators to see whether drives to integrate services have led to improvements for patients.

A quick guide to approaches to improving staff engagement in the NHS – NHS Employers
This briefing looks at a range of approaches that organisations can take to sustain staff engagement. The guide outlines a core set of approaches that have been shown to be effective in resolving engagement issues. It contains links to resources and case studies looking at how NHS organisations have put ideas into practice.

The NHS long-term plan explained – The King’s Fund
On 7 January, the NHS long-term plan (formerly known as the 10-year plan) was published setting out key ambitions for the service over the next 10 years. In this explainer, we set out the main commitments in the plan and provide our view of what they might mean, highlighting the opportunities and challenges for the health and care system as it moves to put the plan into practice.

Hospital handover delays guidance
NHS Improvement has updated Addressing hospital handover delays: actions for local A&E delivery boards.  This document provides advice for ambulance trusts and A&E delivery boards on what action to take during busy periods and should ambulances begin to queue. This aims to help reduce delays in handover of patients from ambulance services to emergency departments.  A protocol and FAQ document have also been published.

e-Learning for Healthcare: Frequent attenders / End of life care for LGBT people
The following resources have been added to the e-Learning for Healthcare website:

• Managing frequent attenders
• Culturally sensitive palliative and end of life care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people

National Child Measurement Programme case studies
The Local Government Association has published National Child Measurement Programme: briefing for elected members.  The briefing contains eight case studies showcasing work around the National Child Measurement Programme.

NHS App begins public rollout 
After successful private testing with more than 3,000 patients across 30 GP practices in England, the NHS App has started its public rollout. The NHS App went into the Apple App and Google Play stores on Monday 31 December, with a web based version due to launch in the coming months. During testing between September […]

Decade of improved outcomes for patients thanks to Surgical Safety Checklist 
Leading figures in health are celebrating ten years of a checklist for surgical teams which has saved countless lives and improved outcomes for patients in England and around the world. The Surgical Safety Checklist is a simple tool designed to improve communication and teamwork by bringing together the surgeons, anaesthesia providers and nurses involved in […]

Statistics

• National Reporting and Learning System monthly report, England – January to December 2018
• Sexual orientation, UK – 2017

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

• Beating the blues away, by getting active every day 
  Staff at Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust are participating in a national campaign to support mental health and wellbeing. RED January is a national campaign which is supported by mental health charity, Mind. The initiative aims to encourage people to do something active every single day throughout the month of January to support mental health.
• Celebrating the completion of innovative degree programme Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust celebrated the amazing achievements of its student nurses last week with a celebratory event. The event celebrated those students who have completed an innovative undergraduate degree course, designed to develop more nurses for the future.
• Every 13 minutes: Roy Lilley considers the state of clinical coding in the NHS