Website of the Department of Health

Consultations and evaluations

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Publications

1. Adult social care reform (Gateway Reference number: 9337)

LAC(DH)(2008)1 sets out the details of the new social care reform grant, which provides funds, over the next three years, to support councils to redesign and reshape their systems to deliver personalisation through increasing individual choice and control.  

Action: Local authority chief executives and directors of adult social services will wish to be aware of this new funding and guidance.

• LAC (DH)(2008)1: Transforming social care

2. Long term conditions’ compendium of evidence (Gateway reference number: 8734)

This document updates the first compendium of information on long-term conditions (LTCs), originally published in May 2004.

Action: NHS and social care chief executives will be interested in the latest available evidence now updated to help their organisations in commissioning and providing care and support services for people with LTCs.

• Raising the Profile of Long Term Conditions Care: A Compendium of Information

3. National Learning Management System (NLMS) (Gateway reference number: 9335)

The NLMS project will provide a free national elearning platform, integrated with the Electronic Staff Record (ESR), for delivering national and local elearning training content to NHS employees. NHS organisations will not need to procure individual systems, saving time and resources whilst providing a consistent and integrated approach.

Action: NHS chief executives wishing to find out more should visit the above link.

• NHS Electronic Staff Record Website (opens new window)

4. Modernising Medical Careers (MMC) (Gateway reference number: 9342)

To support junior doctors applying for specialty training in 2008, trusts are encouraged to expand workplace access to external email providers for the purpose of job searches and receiving email notifications. See letter on improvement to recruitment communications from the MMC programme.

Action: NHS trust chief executives are asked to ensure that junior doctors have 24-hour workplace access to websites carrying job adverts and remote access to personal email for urgent messages concerning interviews and offers.

• Modernising medical careers - Improvement to junior doctors' access to recruitment communications

5. NICE commissioning guides (Gateway reference number: 9346)

NICE has published six new commissioning guides to help the NHS in England commission evidence-based care for patients effectively. The guides cover: bariatric surgical service, endometrial ablation service, hysterectomies, memory assessment, services for the provision of intrauterine devices and the urinary continence service. Each guide is underpinned by clinical guidelines published by NICE, and offers an indicative benchmark of activity to help commissioners determine the level of service needed locally.

Action: NHS chief executives will be able to draw on these new commissioning guides which support the commissioning of evidence-based care in line with NICE clinical guidelines.

• NICE commissioning guides - supporting clinical service redesign (opens new window)

6. Final Handbook for support, time and recovery (STR) workers (Gateway reference number: 9087)

The STR final handbook reports on the successful progress of the STR implementation programme and updates the original 2003 policy implementation guide which remains extant. The contact point is Roslyn Hope, Director of the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) National Workforce Programme on 07973 438350.

Action:  NHS chief executives may wish to implement the framework of support, advice and guidance for STR workers recommended by this handbook. A limited number of hard copies are available from John Allcock on 0207 972 4224.

• Support, Time and Recovery (STR) Workers: Learning from the national implementation programme

7. Mandatory Clostridium difficile infection (C.diff) surveillance (Gateway reference number: 9301)

Reviewing and correcting trusts’ C.diff data by 10 March is important as this data will inform national and local targets.

Action: NHS chief executives of acute trusts should work with directors of infection prevention and control in order to action this recent professional letter.

• PL CMO (2008)1: Changes to the mandatory healthcare associated infection surveillance system for Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) from 1 January 2008

8. Applications to receive extra training funds (Gateway reference number: 9308)

NHS chief executives who have not responded to the request for applications to receive extra training funds for their staff on Agenda for Change contracts, are invited to do so by 31 January. These funds are a fundamental component of the improved pay offer for 2007/08 agreed last October. A letter plus guidance and application form can be found at:

Action: NHS chief executives to complete application form where they have not already done so.

• Dear colleague letter: outstanding invoices for extra training monies

9. Primary care roadmap (Gateway reference number: 9349)

NHS Connecting for Health and the strategic health authorities have just made available a primary care roadmap. This document gives an overview of the primary care elements of the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) which will impact upon PCTs over the next 12-18 months. It is only available via the NHS web.

Action: PCT chief executives will be interested because of the implementation and resource implications involved in delivering NPfIT.

• Connecting for Health: Primary care roadmap (available via the NHS web only) (opens new window)

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

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