Website of the Department of Health

Consultations and evaluations

1. NHS Health Direct Early Adopter: expressions of interest (Gateway reference number: 7678)

The Department of Health and NHS Direct are seeking a local health community (PCT) to act as the Early Adopter for NHS Health Direct to provide multi-media advice supporting personal health improvement. The Early Adopter will be launched by October 2007 and evaluated to inform national roll-out of NHS Health Direct in 2008. For further information and to formally express interest contact Bob Gann at NHS Direct via email on Bob.Gann@online.nhsdirect.nhs.uk or tel. 01489 773722.  Further information is available at:

• NHS Health Direct: Early Adopter Programme - Further guidance for SHAs and PCTs

2. Equality Legislation (Gateway reference number: 7684)

See letter from David Nicholson to NHS Chief Executives to remind them of their duties towards equality legislation. This is particularly important, not only to ensure that they meet their legal obligations, but also to ensure that the NHS actually delivers personalised care.

• Equality Legislation

Publications

3. Voices for Improvement Action Network (VIAN) (Gateway reference number: 7481)

The Individual Voices for Improvement (IVI) Policy Forum (including Department of Health, Commission for Social Care Inspection, the Healthcare Commission, the LGO and OPHSO), has launched a national action learning network to support complaints staff working across health and social care. Staff will require senior level support for their participation in this initiative as their contribution will enhance individual and organisational development. For further details. contact vian@dh.gsi.gov.uk

4. Choose and Book: General Medical Services (GMS) Contract Directed Enhanced Service (DES) for Choice and Booking FAQs (Gateway reference number: 7673)

Revisions to the GMS contract from 1 April 2006 include a reward for GP practices, through a directed enhanced service, for utilisation of the Choose and Book service and for delivering choice to patients.  FAQs on the Booking component of the Choice and Booking DES are now available.  These can be accessed at:

• Press release 8 January 2007: Seasonal flu vaccination programme for poultry workers (opens new window)
• Immunisation programme for poultry workers: guidance on the implementation of a seasonal flu vaccination programme for poultry workers

6. National Audit Office report: Improving quality and safety - Progress in implementing clinical governance in primary care (Gateway reference number: 7680)

PCTs have structures and processes in place for clinical governance. However, degree of implementation varies, with lack of patient and public involvement a risk to further progress. Individual feedback reports and a guide are available for all PCTs. See:

• National Audit Office website (opens new window)

7. GP Patient Survey – Hospital Choice (Gateway reference number: 7682)

Questionnaires are being sent to all practices, with a request that these are distributed to all eligible patients between 16 January and 30 March 2007. The results will be used to assess qualification for the Choice Directed Enhanced Services (DES) payment for which PCT chief executives will be responsible.

Conferences and events - i) what's new

8. Extending the successful Clean Your Hands Campaign to non-acute care settings (Gateway reference number: 7677)

To ensure the campaign approach is effective, manageable and meets the needs of staff working in the different care settings, a series of stakeholder consultation events are taking place across England from mid January to early February. We hope chief executives will encourage representatives from your organisation to attend. Further details including dates and venues plus a booking form to confirm attendance are available at:

• National Patient Safety Agency hand hygiene (opens new window)

Conference and events - ii) places still available

No news this week

Patient safety alerts

9. MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT – MDA/2007/002 (Gateway reference number: 7671)

Device: Patient monitoring system – Philips Medical Systems Multi-Measurement Server (MMS) Model: M3001A and SpO2 Module M1020B

This Medical Device Alert was issued on 8 January 2007 to NHS trust for action.

Further information can be found at:

• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency website (MDA/2007/002) (opens new window)