Patient-initiated follow-up: will it free up capacity in outpatient care? – Nuffield Trust
With the number of outpatient hospital appointments in England recently as high as 125 million per year and a huge elective care backlog following the Covid-19 pandemic, patient-initiated follow-up (PIFU) on NHS outpatient appointments has been touted as a potential solution in appropriate cases. This briefing explains what is known from the available evidence and earlier evaluations of PIFU about how personalising follow-up impacts service use and patient experience and outcomes. It also discusses key implementation considerations for the NHS as it seeks to mainstream this approach.

RightCare stroke toolkit  – NHS England 
This toolkit provides integrated stroke delivery networks (ISDNs) and local stroke services with key actions to guide service improvement in the following pathway specific and across pathway system improvement priority areas: health inequalities; prevention; TIA management; pre-hospital; hyper acute and acute care; rehabilitation and life after stroke; workforce; medicines optimisation; and technology.

Waiting for NHS hospital care: the role of the independent sector – The Health Foundation 
Given the role anticipated for the independent sector in elective care recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, this long read explores the sector’s role to date, looks at how this has changed since the pre-pandemic period, and considers what it might mean for patients waiting for different types of treatments, and living in different parts of England.

Ambitious for change: research into NMC processes and people’s protected characteristics – Nursing & Midwifery Council (NMC)
This report outlines the findings from research into why some professionals have different experiences of NMC’s processes. The report aims to understand why these differences exist and the impact they have on the workforce. The findings highlight opportunities to improve regulatory activities and ensure processes are fair. They also draw attention to how inequalities which cut across the health and social care sector and exist in wider society are contributing to the disparities.

National commissioning guidance for post Covid services – NHS England
This document informs the commissioning of post Covid services in England. It aims to assist local health care systems to plan and deliver services that meet the varied and often complex needs of people living with long Covid.

How to make change happen in general practice – The King’s Fund
The growing crisis facing general practice, where demand is outstripping available workforce, means that as integrated care systems take on responsibility for NHS resources, understanding how to make change happen in general practice is vital.

NHS Employers – roundup

• Beating burnout in the NHS Burnout in the NHS is more prevalent than ever. NHS trusts must address this to ensure staff wellbeing and high-quality patient care is sustainable.
• Episode 3: Catalysts for change with Mee Yan Cheung Judge & Linda Holbeche Mee Yan Cheung Judge & Linda Holbeche on the power, politics and courage needed to make a difference.
• Nursing and midwifery national profiles review The NHS Staff Council’s Job Evaluation Group has begun work to review the national job profiles for nursing and midwifery (band 4 and above).
• 2022/23 NHS terms and conditions of service pay materials Access supporting products following government’s announcement on the 2022/23 pay award for staff under the NHS Terms and Conditions of Service (AfC).
• Archived terms and conditions handbooks List of archived terms and conditions of service handbooks.
• Prospective cover guidance for study leave Read our guidance that provides clarity for employers and doctors on what is prospective cover, when it’s in operation and how this affects pay.
• NHS Pension Scheme – changes to member contributions from 1 October 2022 Information about upcoming changes to member contributions and our plans to help you understand, explain and implement the changes.
• Code of Practice for International Recruitment updated Read about the new updates to the Code of Practice for Ethical International Recruitment.
• Become an NHS Ambassador More than 400,000 students have received advice and guidance on how to start a career in the NHS through the NHS Ambassador programme.

HSJ Roundup –  Full text available << click here to e-mail your request to the Hanley Library >>

• Just four out of 1,100 lone worker alarms being used by trust workforce A trust which rented 1,100 lone worker alarms has found just four were in use after a year.
• Trust ends deal with consultancy accused of ‘misconduct’ by Jacob Rees Mogg Northumbria Healthcare Foundation Trust has ended its £6m contract with consultants Bain & Company after the government accused it of “grave professional misconduct” over its activities in South Africa.
• Virtual outpatient drive at heart of effort to end 78-week waits, says Mackey Patients at trusts with long waiting lists should no longer think “they have to go to their local hospital” for outpatient appointments, but should instead be offered virtual consultations elsewhere in the country where there is greater capacity, Sir Jim Mackey has told HSJ.
• ‘Super September’ to boost elective recovery declared by NHSE NHS England is encouraging trusts to deliver a “Super September” of accelerated elective recovery plans, HSJ has learned.
• Multiple reporting systems undermine patient safety, says watchdog A single system to report patient safety concerns would “keep people safer”, a newly appointed NHS watchdog has told HSJ.
• New IT system harms trust’s cancer performance for six months A trust which is struggling with a new electronic patient record is likely to see cancer performance affected for at least the rest of this year, it has said.
• Cyber attack triggers ‘total system outage’ Outage Cyber Attack – Many NHS 111 services are without a crucial IT system for several days, after a cyber attack on a software supplier.
• Suspected cyberattack triggers ‘total system outage’ Many NHS 111 services are without a crucial IT system for several days, after a crash which appears to have been caused by a form of cyberattack.
• Truss plans ‘fewer layers of NHS management’ Tory party leadership frontrunner and potential prime minister Liz Truss has said she would ‘sort out’ pensions tax problems for doctors, and promised to empower clinicians by making the NHS less centralised.
• Trust promotes COO to CEO after less than a year An acute trust has promoted its chief operating officer, who joined 10 months ago, to chief executive.
• ‘We can’t continue to fund the NHS forever’, says Babylon finance chief The chief financial officer of digital provider Babylon Health has said the company has been a ‘victim of [its] own success’ and it cannot ‘continue to fund the NHS forever’.
• Hospitals test evacuations due to roof collapse fears NHS England has called for a “deep dive” into local evacuation and shelter arrangements, amid ongoing concerns about outdated and unsafe estate.
• Trust to expand its accommodation amid rocketing property prices One of the NHS’s biggest trusts is planning to significantly boost its staff accommodation amid concerns a shortage of affordable housing in its catchment area is having a “significant impact on recruitment”.