Clinically-led review of NHS access standards: interim report from the NHS National Medical Director – NHS England
In 2018 Professor Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director, was asked to carry out a clinical review of standards across the NHS, with the aim of determining whether patients would be well served by updating and supplementing some of the older targets currently in use. In this interim report, Professor Powis sets out his recommendations for doing so.

Explaining organisational responses to a board-level quality improvement intervention: findings from an evaluation in six providers in the English National Health Service – BMJ Quality & Safety  (log in with NHS OpenAthens)
Underperforming organisations, under pressure to improve, have little time or resources to devote to organisation-wide quality improvement initiatives. Our research highlights the need for policy-makers and regulators to extend their focus beyond the choice of intervention, to consider how the chosen intervention will be implemented in public sector hospitals, how this will vary between contexts and with what effects. We provide useful information on the necessary conditions for a board-level quality improvement intervention to have positive effects.

Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response
NHS England has published the following documents relating to Emergency Preparedness, Resilience and Response (EPRR):

• Resilient Telecommunications Guidance for NHS England and the NHS in England – provides guidance of the minimum requirements to support resilient telecommunications
• Guidance for the initial management of self presenters from incidents involving hazardous materials – assists healthcare facilities or NHS branded buildings where patients may present, to plan for and respond to self-presenters from a hazardous materials or chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear or explosive incidents.

Maximising the potential: essential measures to support SAS doctors – Health Education England
This report outlines measures to support Specialty and Associate Specialist (SAS) doctors sets out how Health Education England, NHS Improvement, NHS Employers and other partners will work together to support and develop SAS doctors. The guidance describes measures including effective induction and appraisal to support and develop their careers and using their skills in ways that realise their full potential.

Guide to developing and implementing ward and unit accreditation programmes – NHS Improvement
This guidance is for chief nurses and those in other senior nursing and midwifery roles.

National apprenticeship week 2019 round up – NHS Employers
Employers offered a range of activities to celebrate national apprenticeship week 2019 to showcase their opportunities and raise awareness.

Retention of older nurses: a focus group study in UK hospitals – NHS Improvement
This piece of research was led by Professor Anne Marie Rafferty of King’s College London and commissioned by us to explore the perspective of older nurses (50+) working in acute hospital trusts.

Statistics

• Quarterly performance of the NHS provider sector: quarter 3 2018/19
• Friends and Family Test data – January 2019
• Legionnaires’ disease monthly surveillance reports– February 2019