Website of the Department of Health

2. Memorandum of understanding (MoU) on joint staff of universities and NHS organisations (Gateway reference number: 7984)

In response to the Glasgow Value Added Tax Tribunal, a working group comprising DH, NHS Employers, Universities and Colleges Employers Association and HM Revenue and Customs have agreed a MoU on joint staff. HM Revenue and Customs is satisfied that staff managed in accordance with the MoU are outside the scope of VAT.  The MoU, published 14 March, is available at:

• Memorandum of understanding: joint staff of universities and NHS organisations

Consultations and Evaluations

3. Options for the future of Payment by Results (PbR): 2008/09-2010/11 (Gateway reference number: 7912)

The Options for the future of Payment by Results: 2008/09-2010/11 consultation document puts forward proposals for future developments including tariff setting, coding and classification, and expanding the scope of PbR. The consultation runs between 15 March and 22 June 2007. Please participate in this consultation by following the link below:

• Options for the Future of Payment by Results: 2008/09 to 2010/11

Publications

4. Out of hours (OOH) clinical audit toolkit (Gateway Ref: 7790)

The Department of Health commissioned the Royal College of General Practitioners to develop this toolkit to support OOH service providers in delivering effective clinical audit, complying with OOH Quality Requirement 4. The toolkit sets out a series of steps, enabling service providers to improve the quality of their service, see:

• RCGP Out of Hours clinical audit tool (opens new window)

5. The Brain and Spine Foundation launches information access toolkit (Gateway reference number: 7962)

This toolkit is aimed at helping commissioners and providers of health and social care services to meet the information needs of people with long-term neurological conditions. See

• Brain and Spine Foundation - Information Access Toolkit (opens new window)

6. Making partnerships work (Gateway reference number: 7576)

This National Strategic Partnership Forum publication gives chief executives and directors of commissioning useful case study examples to demonstrate how the third sector can support their delivery of the Our health, our care, our say White Paper. Contact Carolyn Heaney at:

• VCSmail@dh.gsi.gov.uk (opens new window)
• Making partnerships work

7. NHS Continuing Healthcare: Continuing Care Redress Guidance (Gateway reference number: 7976)

Guidance for primary care trusts has been published in response to the recommendations in the Retrospective continuing care and redress report by the Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration (Parliamentary Ombudsman) and the Health Service Ombudsman for England.

Contact Nicola Watt on 020 7972 4094

See:

• NHS continuing healthcare: Continuing care redress

8. Increased dental charges announced (Gateway reference number: 7991)

Following the recent charge announcement, patient posters and leaflets about new charges and other information on NHS dentistry will be with primary care trusts (PCTs) by 26 March for circulation to their dental practices and PCT-run services in advance of 1 April 2007.

For more details contact: Simon Hall, Tel: 020 7633 7908.

See:

• Chief Dental Officer - what's new

9. Independent sector extended choice network update (Gateway reference number: 7994)

Independent sector (IS) involvement with the extended choice network (ECN) is gaining momentum. At the end of February 2007 two IS ECN Providers and six facilities were available on the national menu. Over the coming months we expect up to 150 more IS ECN facilities to meet the criteria to list services on the National Choose and Book menu. See Choose and Book website.

Contact: David Sykes, 020 7633 7087, e-mail

• isecn.ccmu@dh.gsi.gov.uk (opens new window)
• Choose and Book (opens new window)

10. Cancer research measures issued (Gateway reference number: 7941)

Measures against which cancer networks and their research counterparts will be peer reviewed, have been published as part of the Manual for Cancer Services. See:

• New measures for the Manual for Cancer Services 2004
• See also: CQuINS V2 (opens new window)

Conferences and events - i) what's new

11. Service line reporting: Better management, better performance, Monday 26 March 2007, London (Gateway reference number: 7987)

Monitor is inviting chief executives working in both NHS foundation trusts and those interested in foundation trust status to attend a conference on how international best practice on service line reporting can be applied to an NHS trust setting.

See:

• Monitor - Service Line Reporting: Better Management, Better Performance (opens new window)

Conference and events - ii) places still available

No news this week

Patient safety alerts

12. MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT – MDA/2007/020 (Gateway reference number: 7992)

Device: Coagulation point of care test: Clearview Simplify D-dimer. Kit lot numbers PT030A and PT031A containing test devices of batch number 682-024. This Medical Device Alert was issued on 08 March 2007 to NHS trust for immediate action. Further information can be found at

• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - MDA/2007/020 (opens new window)

13. MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT – MDA/2007/021 (Gateway reference number: 7993)

Device: Laryngoscope: Casllisto Macintosh size 3 (adult) single-use laryngoscope blade, manufactured by Timesco of London Ltd.
Part number: DS.3940.150.20/21.
Affected lots: GE, GF, GG, GH, GI, GJ, GK, GL, HA.
NHS Supply chain number: FSM077.
This Medical Device Alert was issued on 13 March 2007 to NHS trust for action.
Further information can be found at

• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - MDA/2007/021 (opens new window)