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DH news

A round-up of current Department of Health news and information.

Raising standards

A new NHS improvement plan backed by £200 million will help all hospitals and PCTs raise their standards.

Raising Standards - Improving Performance in the NHS features a programme of support that includes:

a clear assessment of the individual needs of each NHS trust to identify relative strengths and weaknesses, leading to an agreed package of

  • tailored support using the expertise of the NHS Modernisation Agency and others to address particular weaknesses and, where necessary,
  • targeted resources to help under-performing NHS and primary care trusts.

As part of this process acute and specialist trusts will agree with their strategic health authority by the autumn a timetable for achieving NHS foundation trust status.

A fund of £200 million will be available between 2004-2005 and 2007-2008 to help fund local improvement plans.

Managing for Excellence

Last October Sir Nigel Crisp launched Managing for Excellence in the NHS, setting out the new leadership and management challenge to deliver the NHS reform programme.

As part of the programme, he outlined a number of national initiatives to help raise leadership and management standards across the NHS. These include implementation of the new management code, introduction of a new career development and succession planning system, a focus on diversity and initiatives to bring on and bring in talent to the service.

Chairs have a crucial role to play in raising leadership and management standards. This centres on ensuring effective strategic leadership from the board, but also covers:

  • encouraging the adoption and conformance to the Code of Conduct for NHS Managers
  • supporting the career development and succession planning of senior people through professional appraisal and the forward planning of recruitment to key positions
  • helping attract and develop talent from within and outside the NHS
  • helping the drive to build managerial capacity at all levels, to champion new skills and to incentivise new management behaviours.

NHS chairs are helping shape a number of leadership and management initiatives: the design of NHS Leaders, the new career development and succession planning system covering up to 1,000 senior executives launched in February 2003; negotiation of a call off contract to make available the best executive search services to NHS boards at favourable rates; the board development programme provided by the NHS Modernisation Agency and the evaluation of training, coaching and mentoring schemes.

GP contract - update
The ballot on the new GP contract opened on Monday 2 June and will close on Friday 20 June. It is expected that the result will be made public that afternoon.

More opportunities for nurses
Further opportunities for nurses to expand their roles were announced during the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress at the end of April. These include the introduction of nurse governors in new NHS foundation trusts, an update on Agenda for Change, more prescribing powers and quicker approval for consultant posts.

Expanding primary care services
A framework for establishing nurses with a special interest (NwSI) and guidance on extending the range of GPs with a special interest has been issued to move more hospital-based services into the community

Action On pilots
New Action On pilot schemes to improve access and quality of care for patients have been launched, covering urology and plastic surgery.

Evercare pilot
The United Health Group from the United States is to pilot a new model of enhanced care for older people in 10 PCTs in partnership with the Department of Health. The Evercare model has a proven record of improving patient outcomes including reduced hospital admission.

NHS Direct expanded
The success of the 24-hour, nurse-led health advice service NHS Direct has attracted an 80 per cent increase in funding to double its capacity over the next three years.

Hospital food
The programme to improve hospital food is being expanded to explore ways patients can have their meals away from the ward and to look at food and drinks services for children and young adults and services in A&E.

Coronary heart disease report
Nearly 2,500 improvements to the care of heart disease patients have been introduced in the NHS since the launch of the Coronary Heart Disease Collaborative in October 2000.

NHS recruitment
An NHS recruitment drive has attracted more than 500,000 responses so far during 2003, including enquiries about nursing and midwifery. The campaign has played a vital role in increasing the number of staff joining and returning to the NHS, as well as encouraging others to start training for future careers within the service.

NHS Direct - drug side effects
Patients suffering from suspected side effects to drugs will be able to report their conditions through NHS Direct.

Post-mortems guidance
Hospitals have been told they must get clear consent from families before carrying out post-mortems on relatives. A series of guidelines are now available on the DH website or by calling 08701 555 455.

Diabetes eye tests
An extra £27 million is being invested in digital cameras for retinopathy.

Complementary research
A £1.3 million award scheme to fund research and development into complementary therapy and alternative medicines has been launched.

Tackling health issues
A report from the Health Development Agency (HDA) highlights innovative ways in which local councils are tackling health issues.The publication is available free at www.hda.nhs.uk

Drugs: Guidance for schools
The consultation draft of Drugs: Guidance for schools is now available to download from the DfES website.

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