Website of the Department of Health

2. End of Life Care (Gateway reference number: 9046)

A letter from Professor Mike Richards, Chair of the End of Life Care Strategy Advisory Board, provides information about the strategy and the NHS Next Stage Review.

Action: NHS and social care chief executives and directors of adult social services will wish to be aware of the decision to defer publication of the strategy and action to take in the interim.

• End of Life Care strategy

Consultations and evaluations

No news this week.

3. IM&T: programme leadership tools (Gateway reference number: 9043)

Guidance for PCT and other NHS chief executives to support them in leading local health community and organisational information management and technology (IM&T) programmes.

Action: NHS chief executives will wish to take this guidance into consideration when leading local IM&T planning programmes. The above link can only be accessed by NHS web users.

• Connecting for Health: NHS IM&T Planning Guidance (available for NHSweb users only) (opens new window)

4. NHS Choices (Gateway reference number: 9041)

The new release of NHS Choices (www.nhs.uk) can be previewed at www.nhschoicespreview.nhs.uk This will be launched on 19 November and includes enhanced navigation and comparative hospital functionality.

Action: NHS chief executives can familiarise themselves with key features on NHS Choices, including comparative hospital data, the patient feedback facility and provider profiles, which enable trusts to promote their services. See letter for further details:

• Second Release of NHS Choices - letter
• NHS Choices preview site - November 2007 (opens new window)
• Current NHS Choices (opens new window)

5. Children’s Health: Our Future (Gateway reference number: 9054)

A report by Dr Sheila Shribman, National Clinical Director for Children, on progress against the National Service Framework (NSF) for Children, Young People and Maternity Services, sets out current policy and the challenges and opportunities ahead. 

Action: NHS and social care chief executives can gauge the strategic direction that child health and maternity services have taken since the launch of the NSF. 

6. What matters to our patients, public and staff (Gateway reference number 9075)

Work has been underway to develop our understanding of what matters to patients, public and staff to help connect the transformation of the NHS with these groups. Summaries of this work were shared with NHS chief executives at their conference in November. This information is now available.

Action: NHS chief executives are asked to consider how this information could be developed and used within their own organisations. 

• What matters to our patients, public and staff

7. Urgent care: update paper (Gateway reference number: 8558)

A summary of the findings from the Direction of Travel for Urgent Care consultation and actions to support the development of urgent care services.

Action: NHS and social care chief executives will be interested to note the future actions for development of urgent care services.

• Urgent and emergency care - key areas highlighted by the consultation and related work

Conferences and events - i) what’s new

No news this week.

Conferences and events - ii) places still available

No news this week.

Patient safety alerts

8. MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT – MDA/2007/085 (Gateway reference number: 9081)

Device: Automatic external defibrillator – Welch Allyn AED 20

Action: This Medical Device Alert was issued on 7 November 2007 to NHS trusts for immediate action.

• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - MDA/2007/085 (opens new window)