Website of the Department of Health

2. Next groups for registration announced (Gateway reference number: 7947)

Minister for Care Services Ivan Lewis announced at the General Social Care Council’s annual conference that registration of domiciliary care workers and their managers will start towards the end of this year. See:

• Government News Network - New registration for care workers who look after older people, children and vulnerable adults (opens new window)

3. The Department of Health’s statement on exercise referral schemes (Gateway reference number: 7930)

Following publication of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance on exercise referral schemes in March 2006, the Department of Health (DH) has published advice clarifying situations, where appropriate, when these schemes may be used without being part of a randomised control trial.

See 'DH statement on exercise referral" or contact Alison Giles on 020 7972 1398

• DH statement on Exercise Referral

Consultations and Evaluations

4. NHS design champions (Gateway reference number: 7956)

The Department of Health recommends that chief executives of all trusts and PCTs embarking new developments to appoint a design champion to their board. Chief executives are asked to supply contact details of newly nominated and existing NHS design champions. Further details: 

• NHS design champions

5.  Commissioning framework for health and well-being (Gateway reference number: 7361)

The Commissioning framework for health and well-being is published for consultation. It is aimed at commissioners and providers of services in health, social care and local authorities. It is part of the White Paper Our health our care our say implementation and the Department of Health are consulting as part of the development of a final document to be published later in 2007. See

• Commissioning framework for health and well-being

Publications

6. Assuring the quality of training for medical appraisers (Gateway reference number: 7921)

Chief executives may wish to know that this report from the NHS Clinical Governance Support Team (CGST), which expands on an earlier report, supports medical appraisal by describing quality markers for the effective selection, training and support of appraisers.

Available in Portable Document Format (PDF) at:

• Download NHS Clinical Governance Support Team - Assuring the quality of training for medical appraisers (PDF, 704K)

7. NHS Connecting for Health service desk now operational (Gateway reference number 7874)

The NHS Connecting for Health (CfH) service desk is now fully operational. It replaces the former in-house national service desk in providing front line IT support for National Programme for IT (NPfIT). Gordon Hextall, NHS Connecting for Health Chief Operating Officer, describes aspects of the new services and their impact on NHS trusts in his letter. 

Letter available for users of the NHS net in Portable Document Format (PDF) at:

• NHS Connecting for Health - Letter from Gordon Hextall (PDF) (opens new window)

8. Innovation for health: Making a difference (Gateway reference number: 7919)

This joint report published on 6 March 2007, marks the successful partnership between Government and the medical devices industry in developing a better understanding of how medical innovation can benefit patients and contribute to more efficient working in the NHS.

See:

• Innovation for health: making a difference

9. Improving access to audiology services in England (Gateway reference number: 7837)

A new framework on improving access to audiology services has been published. It aims to help cut waiting times for hearing services and encourage SHAs and PCTs to draw on best practice and good commissioning to transform services.

See:

• Improving access to audiology services in England

10. Improving security of supply of Immunoglobulin (Gateway reference number: 7916 & 7917)

Therapeutic Immunoglobulin is a blood product used to treat a wide range of diseases. There has been concern over availability in the NHS and this led to a DH review in 2006. These two letters explain the outcomes of the DH review and the implementation programme to ensure security of supply.

See letters:

• Outcome of the options analysis to ensure security of supply of immunoglobulins
• Implementation programme to ensure security of supply of immunoglobulin

11. Communities for health: learning from the Pilots (Gateway Reference Number 7773)

Chief executives will want to be aware that following a recent conference, where Minister of State for Public Health Caroline Flint launched the second phase of communities for health in Spearhead areas, a report is now available detailing the initiatives undertaken by pilot areas on improving health through working with their local communities.

See:

• Communities for Health: learning from the pilots

12. The Way Ahead: The Local Challenge (Gateway reference number: 7917)

This report, published on 7 March 2007, highlights progress over the first four years following the publication of the Diabetes National Service Framework Delivery Strategy. It includes examples of good practice from around the country.

See:

• The way ahead: The local challenge - Improving diabetes services

13. Insulin pumps report (Gateway reference number: 7777)

This report, published on 7 March 2007, sets out the findings of the Insulin Pumps Working Group which was set up to address variation in access to this therapy across the country following publication of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines. It outlines the group's conclusions and gives examples of best practice in improving access to pump therapy.

See:

• Insulin pump services - report of the Insulin Pumps Working Group

Conferences and events - i) what's new

14. Practice based commissioning specifically designed at engaging secondary care (Gateway reference number: 7959)

The Improvement Foundation are running two events on 13 March 2006 at Thistle Hotel Marble Arch, London and 21 March 2006 at the Hilton Hotel, Manchester. For further information and to register see:

• The Improvement Foundation, incorporating NPDT (opens new window)

Conference and events - ii) places still available

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Patient safety alerts

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