Website of the Department of Health

Consultations and evaluations

1. Private patient income for foundation trusts (Gateway reference number: 9243)

Monitor has issued a new statement about the private patient income cap for NHS foundation trusts. Monitor considers that its current interpretation of this restriction is fair and reasonable. UNISON is challenging that interpretation. In light of this divergence of views and of the need for clarity, Monitor has decided that the most appropriate course of action is again to open this matter to full public consultation.

Action: Chief executives thinking of applying for foundation trust status will need to be aware there will be a fresh consultation on this issue.

• Monitor statement on board minutes relating to application of the private patient income cap (opens new window)

Publications

2. Aiming high for disabled children (Gateway reference number: 9409)

A draft of the Aiming High for Disabled Children ‘core offer’ for families is being tested with key stakeholders. This document informs local authorities, PCTs, voluntary and independent organisations and families with disabled children of what is on offer.

Action: This will be valuable briefing for PCT and local authority chief executives, as well as directors of social services.

• Aiming High for Disabled Children: Draft core offer standards paper

3. Risks of incorrect medicine doses (Gateway reference number: 9377)

On 22 January, the National Patient Safety Agency alerted all healthcare staff involved in the use of oral anti-cancer medicines of potentially fatal outcomes if incorrect doses of these medicines are used.

Action: There are practical ideas here to make oral medicine management safer . 

• National Patient Safety Agency: Risks of incorrect dosing of oral anti-cancer medicines (opens new window)

4. Updated MRSA indicator for NHS Choices (Gateway reference number: 9472)

The MRSA indicator will be updated in the coming weeks. The NHS Choices website currently gives the number of infections per 10,000 bed days in 2006/07 for all admitted patients, as calculated by the Health Protection Agency. This figure will be supplemented by the number of infections per 10,000 bed days for elective patients only. The figures are available on the NHS Choices preview application. Details have already been sent to the designated contact at each Trust.

Action: NHS chief executives who want to access the preview application should contact the NHS Choices team at:

• scorecard@nhschoices.nhs.uk (opens new window)

5. Grant for social services information management (Gateway reference number: 9463)

A letter, LASSL(DH)(2008)1: Local Authorities Area Based Grant, advises local authorities with social services responsibilities of the final, 2007/08, payment of the capital grant for improving information management, as set out in LAC(2006)11.

Action: Details on how this grant wil be paid out are set out in the letter. 

• LASSL(DH)(2008)1: Supported capital expenditure (capital grant) for improving information management 2007/2008

6. National evaluation of payment by results (Gateway reference number: 9478 )

A report from a team of academics, led by the Health Economics Research Unit at the University of Aberdeen and commissioned by the Department of Health, has been published on the university's website. 

Action: This comprehensive report will directly help those NHS chief executives who are implementing payment by results.

• Download National Evaluation of Payment by Results from the Health Economics Research Unit website in Portable Document Format (PDF, 1.1MB) (opens new window)

7. Social care workforce training (Gateway reference number: 9401)

LASSL(DH)(2008) 2: Local Authorities’ Area Based Grant, is a letter which explains the changes made regarding grants supporting adult and children’s social care workforce training, development and remodelling.

Action: This letter flags up important changes to these grants from April 2008 onwards.

• LASSL(DH)(2008)2: Adults Social Care Workforce and Children's Social Care Workforce contributions to Local Authorities' Area Based Grant

8. Delivering quality and value (Gateway reference number: 9161)

This tool enables acute trusts to benchmark consultant clinical activity in 10 specialties for 2006/07.  Charts have been sent to medical directors and HR directors in individual trusts with the data for their own consultants. An anonymised version of the tool is available on the Department of Health website.

Action: This tool can be used to benchmark consultant clinical activity and inform future job planning.

• Delivering quality and value: consultant clinical activity 2006-07

9. General medical and primary care contract changes (Gateway reference number: 9176)

Regulations amending the General Medical Services (GMS) contract and Primary Medical Services  (PMS) agreement regulations came into force on 28 January 2008.

Revised Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS) and Primary Care Trust Medical Services (PCTMS) Directions, as a result of the amending regulations, are available below.

Action: PCT chief executives should ensure PMS contracts and agreements are varied to bring them into line with the new regulations. 

• GMS legislation
• PMS Legislation
• Alternative Provider Medical Services (APMS)
• Primary Care Trust Medical Services (PCTMS)

Conferences and events - i) what's new

10. Mental health commissioning (Gateway reference number: 9479)

This Department of Health seminar on 7 May 2008 will focus on world class commissioning, integrated mental health commissioning and mental health priorities and will be an opportunity to discuss future developments in mental health commissioning.

Action: Chief executives and senior directors who may want to attend can access further information on this key event at:

• Department of Health Seminar on Mental Health Commissioning 7 May 2008

Conferences and events - ii) places still available

No news this week

Patient safety alerts

11. Patient safety alerts MEDICAL DEVICE ALERT – MDA/2008/005 (Gateway reference number: 9480)

Device: Hard-shell venous reservoirs and oxygenators used for cardiopulmonary bypass during heart surgery: various manufacturers.

Action: This Medical Device Alert was issued on 11 February 2008 to NHS trusts for action/update.

• Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency - MDA/2008/005 (opens new window)