Website of the Department of Health

1. Commissioning a Patient-led NHS Update (Gateway reference number: 6018)

The latest Commissioning a patient-led NHS update is available at:

2. The Registration of Community Pharmacists for Release 1 of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) (Gateway reference number: 6010)

The National Care Record Service Registration Team has developed policy to support PCTs to register community pharmacists for release 1 of EPS.

With the implementation of release 1 of EPS across the NHS about to commence there is a need to ensure appropriate registration of Community Pharmacists and this note sets out a policy framework to accomplish this for all those involved in the process. It is supported by detailed technical guidance for RAs issued by Connecting for Health and available at:

• Registration of Community Pharmacists for Release 1 of the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS)

Consultations and evaluations

3. Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) (Amendment) Regulations 2006: Consultation 9 January - 10 April 2006 (Gateway reference number: 5916)

Ministers have agreed that, for England, the enforcement powers of the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations 2000 (IR(ME)R 2000) should be transferred to the Healthcare Commission.

A consultation document seeking comments on the draft regulations to affect this change has been placed at:

4. Chief Executives' Mailbox Survey 2006 (Gateway reference number:5999)

The DH Reducing Burdens team is looking for CEs to take part in the 2006 'Chief Executives' Mailbox Survey', which gauges the impact of reducing burdens initiatives by examining the volume and flow of NHS CEs emails.  

For more information, contact MB-Bureaucracy@dh.gsi.gov.uk or visit:

• MB-bureaucracy@dh.gsi.gov.uk (opens new window)

Publications

5. Forthcoming Equality Legislation (Gateway reference number: 6013)

Impending equality legislation including the Disability Discrimination Act 2005,  the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations and the provisions in the Equality Bill outlawing discrimination on the grounds of religion, belief or sex in the provision of goods, facilities and services and a positive public sector gender equality duty are due to come into force shortly. See:

• Forthcoming equality legislation

6. Local Improvement Finance Trust Guidance (Gateway reference number: 6014)

This guidance advises PCTs in LIFT that if they are developing a large and complex single scheme with a capital value of over £25 million that the standard form PFI contract must be used to ensure appropriate risk transfer, payment and performance mechanisms are in place. Available at:

• LIFT Guidance: New policy requirements: Part A: Contract documentation to be used for NHS LIFT schemes that are large and/or complex. Part B: Acute schemes taken forward by participants in the Strategic Partnering Agreement

7. Herceptin for Early Breast Cancer (Gateway reference number: 6012)

The National Cancer Research Institute has produced a UK Clinical Guideline on the use of Herceptin for early breast cancer. This provides useful information to those considering prescribing Herceptin for this indication in advance of a decision on licensing and the publication NICE guidance. See:

• Herceptin for Early Breast Cancer

8. Care homes: Provision of information about prices/fees (Gateway reference number: 5820)

This document sets out the Government's proposed changes to the Care Homes Regulations in order to address the concerns relating to price transparency raised by the Office of Fair Trading in their market study of care homes for older people. See:

9. Reducing the cost of Agency Nursing (Gateway reference number: 6011)

The new procurement for the supply of agency nurses has a total value of over £250 million and will significantly impact financial outcomes at NHS trusts. CEs are asked to support this project and influence outcomes. This project contributes to wider DH programmes to reduce the cost of agency staff. See the NHS web:

• the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency website (Download in Microsoft Word format) (opens new window)

10. The Strategic Health Authorities (Personal Dental Services Functions) Directions 2005 (Gateway reference number: 5996)

These directions came into force on 1 January 2006.  Under the directions, SHAs are required to delegate their functions in relation to personal dental services to Primary Care Trusts.  Where the PCT is to provide any services under a PDS agreement, the functions remain with the SHA. A model Direction template is available here

• The Strategic Health Authorities (Personal Dental Services Functions) Directions 2005

11. Measuring Childhood Obesity - Guidance to PCTs (ROCR/OR/0027/FT6/009) (Gateway reference number: 5990)

DH has developed guidance for PCTs on how to measure the height and weight of children for monitoring the prevalence of childhood obesity. Data on childhood obesity is required to enable tracking of local progress against the childhood obesity (PSA10a) target and to inform local planning and targeting of resources and interventions. This obesity target is included in the LDP Phase II process recently launched (see Duncan Selbie's letter on 16/12/05 - Gateway Ref: 5915 - for further details).

Queries to:

• heightweightguidance@dh.gsi.gov.uk (opens new window)

Further information at:

• Measuring childhood obesity: Guidance to primary care trusts
• Local Delivery Plans 2005/08 Phase II: Technical note

12. Implementation of information sharing index announced by Children's Minister (Gateway reference number: 6001)

Children's Minister Beverley Hughes announced the Government plans to implement this index which will enable practitioners delivering services to children to identify and contact one another easily and quickly, so that they can share relevant information about children who need services or about whose welfare they are concerned.  More at:

• the Every Child Matters website (opens new window)

13. Practice Guidance for Sure Start Children's Centres (Gateway reference number: 6000)

The guidance aims to help Local Authorities and their partner agencies ensure that good practice becomes common practice, so that no parent or children miss the advantages that children's centres can bring. It emphasises the importance of working in partnership with PCTs. See:

• the Sure Start website (opens new window)

14. E-learning Framework (Gateway reference number: 5829)

A best practice strategic framework has been developed to promote the adoption and deployment of e-learning within the NHS. The National Workforce Group will promote the use of the framework and encourage the collaboration to ensure that the NHS is fully able to benefit from e-learning developments. See:

15. CMO Update 43 (Gateway reference number: 5893)

The winter edition of CMO Update is now available. Contents include: non-medical prescribing; history of pandemic flu; Expert Patients Programme; preventing venous thromboembolism; detecting renal disease; recognising carbon monoxide poisoning; the effective use of chaperones and assessing the quality of medical appraisal. The document can be accessed at:

• CMO Update 43

Conferences and events - i) what's new

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Conferences and events - ii) places still available

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Patient safety alerts

• link to patient safety alerts