The Topol review: preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future: an independent report on behalf of the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care – HEE
The Topol Review, led by cardiologist, geneticist, and digital medicine researcher Dr Eric Topol and produced by HEE, explores how to prepare the healthcare workforce, through education and training, to deliver the digital future. The Review is now published and makes recommendations to enable NHS staff to make the most of innovative technologies such as genomics, digital medicine, artificial intelligence and robotics to improve services.

Digital technology code of conduct
The Department of Health and Social Care has published Code of conduct for data-driven health and care technology.  This code of conduct contains a set of principles for the use of digital technology in health and care.

Waiting times and attendance durations in A&E departments
The Strategy Unit has published Waiting times and attendance durations at English accident and emergency departments.  This report presents a detailed review of the demand-side, supply-side, practice and emergent factors that lead to 4-hour breaches in A&E with a particular focus on changes that have taken place since 2010.  It includes insights which have the potential to reshape the perceived wisdom about the performance of A&E departments, carrying implications for healthcare policy and system leadership.

NHS Staff and Learners’ Mental Wellbeing Commission
Health Education England has published NHS Staff and Learners’ Mental Wellbeing Commission.  This is the final report from the commission which set out to discover and review evidence of good practice where the mental health and wellbeing of staff and learners in NHS organisations has been made an organisational priority.  The report contains a series of recommendations which will be considered as part of arrangements to develop the Workforce Implementation Plan

General practice premises survey
The British Medical Association has published the results of their 2018 GP Premises Survey which was conducted as part of the NHS England GP premises review.  Around 1000 practices took part in the survey regarding the state of their current premises.  Only half of practices considered their premises to be fit for present needs whilst only 2 in 10 practices thought their premises were fit for the future.

National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Signals

• London’s Low Emission Zone has not been shown to improve children’s respiratory health
• A new tool helps predict recovery from ankle sprain
• Honey may help painful mouth inflammation caused by cancer treatments
• A high omega-6 fatty acid diet is unlikely to prevent cardiovascular disease or deaths

Public acceptability of health and social care funding
The Health Foundation has published Public acceptability of health and social care funding options.  This working paper explores the preferences of the general public with regard to the various ways of raising the additional funds that will be needed for health and social care in the UK.  The report presents the key findings and draws out policy implications.

Operational planning and contracting: dispute resolution
NHS England has published the following documents on the dispute resolution process and the process for variation and updating of contractual terms relating to 2019/20 operational planning and contracting:

• Annex J1 – Joint Contract Dispute Resolution Process for new contracts for 2019/20
• Annex J2 – Updating non-expiring contracts for 2019/20: Guidance on the process for agreeing – Variations and resolving disputes

Health and wellbeing in adolescence and early adulthood
The Nuffield Trust and the Association for Young People’s Health have published International comparisons of health and wellbeing in adolescence and early adulthood.  This report compares young people’s health measures over time, comparing the UK to 18 other high-income countries.  It finds young people in the UK are making healthier life choices for themselves than before, but are more likely to die from asthma or have a poor quality of life from long-term conditions compared to counterparts in other high-income countries.

Raising concerns about care
The Care Quality Commission has launched their ‘Declare Your Care’ campaign which is encouraging people to share their experiences of care with CQC to support its work to improve standards of care in England.  To coincide with the campaign the CQC has published research which shows that almost 7 million people in England who have accessed health or social care services, in the last five years have had concerns about their care, but never raised them.

NHSX – digital, data and technology
The Department of Health and Social Care has announced a new joint unit, NHSX, will be created to take forward digital transformation in the NHS, allowing patients and staff to benefit from the latest digital systems and technology. The organisation will use experts in technology, digital, data and cyber security to deliver on the Health Secretary’s tech vision and the Long Term Plan for the NHS.

NICE guidance

Evidence summary

 Interventional procedure guidance

 Technology appraisal

Settlement agreements and speaking up
NHS Employers has published Settlement agreements: a factsheet for employers and workers about speaking up.  This resource aims to help employers and workers understand their rights when entering into a settlement agreement.  It includes key information around the use of confidentiality clauses and reassures employers and workers who may wish to speak up to ensure high quality safe care is maintained.

Workforce sharing
NHS Employers has published System working – staff mobility/portability: guidance for employers.  As organisations and ICSs develop ways of collaborative, place-based patient care, this guide supports staff movement across NHS organisations as part of workforce sharing agreements.  It offers practical advice and guidance on the employment law issues that might arise when staff work across different NHS organisations and includes case studies where workforce sharing is working effectively.

Patient and public involvement in research
The RAND Corporation has published Patient and public involvement in research: enabling meaningful contributions.  This report summarises a rapid review of the evidence-base on patient and public involvement  activities in research.

NHS key statistics
The House of Commons Library has published NHS key statistics: England, February 2019.  This briefing provides a summary of NHS demand, performance and capacity of services in England including A&E statistics, waiting lists, ambulance data, delayed discharges, and staffing levels.

Atlas of Shared Learning
NHS England has added the following case studies to the Atlas of Shared Learning:

• Sepsis pathway improvements across Lancashire Care Homes
• The use of social media to support weight management in pregnancy – West Sussex
• Increasing General Practice Nursing placements for student nurses – Sussex
• Improving referral to the Critical Care Outreach Team – Whittington
• Implementation of telemedicine at Airedale NHS Foundation Trust
• Improving Palliative Care: The Conversation Project – Bath
• Increasing training and development in Vagus Nerve Stimulation – Cheshire

Statistics

• Diagnostic Imaging Dataset – October 2018
• Direct Access Audiology waiting times – December 2018
• Bed Availability and Occupancy – Q3 2018/19
• Learning Disability Services Monthly Statistics – Provisional Statistics (AT: January 2019, MHSDS: November 2018 Final)
• Learning Disabilities Health Check Scheme, England – Quarter 3, 2018-19
• Screening KPI data summary factsheets – February 2019 (pdf)
• State of the North East 2018: public mental health and wellbeing
• NHS Outcomes Framework Indicators – February 2019 Release
• NHS Dental Statistics for England, 2018-19 – Second Quarterly Report
• General Practice Workforce – Final 31 December 2018, Experimental Statistics
• GP Contract Services, England, 2018-19
• NHS Sickness Absence Rates – October 2018 Provisional Statistics
• NHS Workforce Statistics – November 2018
• Independent Healthcare Provider Workforce Statistics – September 2018, Experimental