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News in brief
Best Treatments on NHS Direct Online
A new online service to increase patient access to quality-assured and clinical evidence-based information has been launched.
NHS Direct Online's Best Treatments provides patients with access to the same information as GPs and other health professionals to support them in making informed choices about their health care.
It forms part of the work to deliver an information revolution announced in the strategy paper Building on the Best: Choice, Responsiveness and Equity in the NHS, published last December.
Best Treatments provides information on the most common elective surgery procedures, including an explanation of the pros and cons, details of other treatments available, and advice on pre-and post-operative care.
It also details the choice of possible treatments for 60 chronic conditions including asthma, cancer and Alzheimer's. These are ranked by effectiveness and risks and the benefits are highlighted.
The information has been written from a patient perspective, using clear, jargon-free language.
User views of social care
Most social care services are meeting the minimum standards expected by people who use them, according to a new report.
The report - All Our Lives - is published by the Social Services Inspectorate (SSI), the SSI/Audit Commission Joint Review Team (Joint Reviews) and the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) - soon to be the Commission for Social Care Inspection.
It looked at the performance and quality of social care services in England between April 2002 and March 2003, and includes the views of service users.
The report says that inspections of care homes showed that the majority were providing acceptable standards of care.
It added that many councils needed to speed up their processes and reduce waiting lists for adults requesting help.
See the report below.
Leadership for quality improvement programme
The National Primary Care Development Team (NPDT) has launched a new Leadership for Quality Improvement Programme (LQIP) in response to requests from clinicians and managers working in primary care.
The main aims of the programme are to maximise leadership capability and capacity in primary care to support practice-based individuals in implementing and leading quality improvement.
The programme will be available for practice-based practitioners or managers who are based wholly or partially in a practice and have been involved with improvement. The LQIP will also count towards continuing professional development (CPD) points.
Running for one year from September 2004, the LQIP will be based around six learning workshops across the UK.
To apply for a place log onto the NPDT website at:
Performance management toolkit
A free web-based toolkit to help practice managers and other health care professionals manage local performance is now available.
The NHS National Clinical Assessment Authority (NCAA) toolkit provides an overview of systems and processes that are needed locally to ensure good performance management as well as practical advice, case studies, downloads of draft policies and protocols and links to other resources.
It has eight themes including managing, developing, disciplining and supporting which include good practice statements and accompanying support information and links.
NCAA associate medical director Dr Sheila Peskett said: "We see the toolkit as being very much about sharing learning. The aim is that managers across the NHS will use the feedback function to submit ideas and policies of their own which can then be included on the site and shared with others."
PCTs leading prison health care
The first wave of primary care trusts (PCTs) to be given lead responsibility for health care in local prisons has been announced.
Frontline responsibility for health care in 34 prisons transferred to 18 PCTs on 1 April.
PCTs will use their knowledge and experience to tackle wider health and exclusion problems such as mental health, substance misuse and communicable diseases.
Those prisons and PCTs involved in the first wave have completed their first prison health delivery plans, setting out modernisation proposals and action plans for improving health care for prisoners.
This is the first step towards prison health becoming part of the wider NHS planning and performance management framework in 2006.
Funds will be transferred to PCTs for the start of the next financial year.
The next wave of transfers will take place in April 2005. By April 2006, health in all English prisons will be led by local PCTs.
NHS Live 2004
NHS Live 2004 is a national learning programme and event for NHS and social care staff and patients.
The first meeting for NHS Live 'Leaders' was held in April where delegates learned more about the purposes and aims of NHS Live and how each organisation can be involved. Over 350 organisations are already actively participating in the programme.
The NHS Live event will take place at Excel in Docklands on 7 July, with masterclasses, workshops, a plenary session and an exhibition, as well as the high profile Health and Social Care Awards ceremony.
Presided over by the health secretary, the awards are the most important opportunity within the NHS and social care to identify and recognise excellence in the provision of care at the frontline.
Enquiries may also be made at 020 7210 5743 or directed to:
Diabetes factsheets for GPs
The National Diabetes Support Team (NDST), established to support the implementation on the Diabetes National Service Framework (NSF), is producing a series of factsheets tackling elements of diabetes care.
Two of these with particular relevance to GPs - Glucose Self-monitoring, and the Disposal of Sharps - contain the latest policy guidelines and have been endorsed by the Department of Health's diabetes policy team.
Both documents are available from the resources page at:
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