Website of the Department of Health

Consultations and Evaluations

No news this week

Publications

1. Escort and Bedwatch costs: Transfer of funding from HM Prison Service to Primary Care Trusts (Gateway reference number: 7704)

PCT Chief Executives may wish to know that the Department of Health and the Home Office have decided to transfer the responsibility and funding for escorts and bedwatch costs from HM Prison Service to Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) from April 2007.

See:

• Escort and bedwatch costs: transfer of funding from HM Prison Service to primary care trusts

2. Sir Ian Carruthers' Review of the Process of Service Change (Gateway reference number: 7857)

David Nicholson wrote out to SHA chief executives on 28 February 2007 with a copy of the findings from Sir Ian Carruthers’ Review of the Process of Service Change. David’s note requests that stakeholders are re-engaged to discuss how recommendations will be approached locally. See note and report:

• Service improvement: Quality assurance of major changes to service provision

3. Update for PCT chief executives from the NHS Security Management Service (Gateway reference number: 7908)

Following the reconfiguration of the PCTs, the NHS Security Management Service (NHS SMS) is using this opportunity to remind all PCT chief executives of the need to include primary care contractors and their staff in the national reporting system for physical assaults. Available to users of the NHS web only in Portable Document Format (PDF) at:

• Counter Fraud and Security Management Service - Protecting your NHS: For the attention of PCT chief executives (opens new window)

4. Response to the bedside televisions and telephones (Patient Power) Patient Power Review Group report (Gateway reference number: 7778)

The Department's formal response to the Health Select Committee inquiry in the report was made in October 2006. The report makes recommendations and outlines further options for bedside entertainment systems. See

• Estates and facilities management

5. Standards Fund Grant 117 for Education/Health Partnerships (Healthy Schools) 2007-08 (Gateway reference number: 7903)

See letter and attachment to directors of children’s services of local authorities and chief executives of primary care trusts in England to provide information on the funding made available by the Department of Health and Department for Education and Skills through the Standards Fund and local area agreements for local healthy schools programmes in 2007-08. See

• Standards Fund Grant 117 for Education/Health Partnerships (Healthy Schools) 2007-08

6. The Mesothelioma Framework (Gateway reference number: 7907)

The framework, launched on 27 February 2007, aims to provide advice to the NHS on how to organise services for Mesothelioma patients to improve quality of care across the country. The framework can be found on the DH website at

• Mesothelioma framework - final

7. Supporting race equality in mental healthcare (Gateway reference number: 7574 and 7888)

See letter from Rosie Winterton to SHA chief executives updating them on progress towards the Community Development Worker December target, reminding them of the priority of black and minority ethnic (BME) mental health and highlighting the launch of Positive steps: Supporting race equality in mental health.

To read the letter see 'Black and minority ethnic (BME) mental health'

To view 'Positive Steps' publication see:

• Positive Steps: Supporting race equality in mental healthcare
• Black and minority ethnic (BME) mental health

8. LASSL (2007)1: Social services national training strategy grant, human resources development strategy grant and the grant determinations (Gateway reference number: 7910)

The above circular provides guidance on social care workforce development grants and can be found at

Any enquiries to:

• LASSL (DH)(2007)1: Social Services National Training Strategy (NTS) Grant and Human Resources Development Strategy (HRDS) Grant 2007/08

9. NPSA launches report on patient falls in hospital (Gateway reference number: 7503)

A new NPSA report, Slips, trips and falls in hospital, examines research evidence and information on falls in hospitals in England and Wales, including over 200,000 incident reports, and provides examples of effective interventions to reduce risk of falls. See

• National Patient Safety Agency - Slips, trips and falls in hospital (opens new window)

10. Coughs and sneezes campaign (Gateway reference number: 7862)

A poster has been sent to NHS workplaces from 26 February, aiming to encourage good respiratory hygiene amongst the general public to slow the spread of pandemic influenza and other diseases. See poster at:

• Coughs and sneezes spread diseases. Stop germs spreading

11. NHS Direct service portfolio (Gateway reference number: 7368)

NHS Direct’s new service portfolio is now available. It provides detailed information on the range of enhanced services available to support the delivery of urgent medical and dental care. See:

• NHS Direct Service Portfolio (opens new window)

Conferences and events - i) what's new

12. Transformational changes for health and social care communities project launch (Gateway reference number: 7901)

David Behan, Director General of Social Care, will be launching the Care Services Improvement Partnership’ s (CSIP) project, to develop a set of high impact changes that will transform health and social care communities on 17 April 2007.

See:

• Knowledge Community - Event details (opens new window)

Conference and events - ii) places still available

No news this week

Patient safety alerts

13. The National Patient Safety Agency has issued Safer Practice Notice (17): Using bedrails safely and effectively (Gateway reference number: 7729)

It aims to improve the safety of patients in hospitals through informing patients and staff about the relative risks of falls and injury with and without bedrails, and what steps they can take to reduce the risks to their patients. See:

• National Patient Safety Agency - Using bedrails safely and effectively (opens new window)