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the week: Issue 43, 25 April - 1 May 2008

  • Last modified date:
    1 May 2008

Published every Thursday, the week provides need-to-know news, consultations and events for chief executives and their teams. It provides links to more information and resources, highlighting areas for action.

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On the agenda

Full details of staff pay arrangements - Three-year deal on offer

NHS managers are encouraged to make staff aware of the details in the Agenda for Change multi-year pay deal arrangements. Key headlines are a pay rise of 2.75 percent in the first year, the best in the public sector, and a minimum starting salary for professional staff of more than £20,000 for the first time. A year two pay rise of 2.4 percent would establish a new minimum wage of £6.77 an hour – 18 percent higher than the statutory rate, and the year three headline pay rise would be 2.25 percent.

New principles to support self care - Aimed at promoting independence

The Government has announced the introduction of seven Common Core Principles to support self care, designed to help people live independently, stay healthy and make the most of their lives by managing their conditions. Care Minister Ivan Lewis and Health Minister Ann Keen said the principles, which have been developed with Skills for Health and Skills for Care and build on the 2006 White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, will be available to employers, commissioners and staff in health and social care services.

Choose and Book for mental health - Referral guidance now available

For the first time PCTs, GPs and service providers are being given guidance for the referral of people to mental health services, using the choose and book system. The Care Services Improvement Partnership  worked with a number of mental health trusts, the British Medical Association and national choose and book clinical leads to produce a user-friendly document called Supporting Referrals for Mental Health. This has been tested in a number of sites, and a range of providers and other groups including GPs have been consulted.

Policy news

1. Human Tissue Authority licence (Gateway reference number: 9832)

A change in the Human Tissue Authority’s licensing requirements under the EU Tissues and Cells Directives means that establishments that did not originally need a licence may now require one to procure tissues and cells for human application (patient treatment) by 5 July 2008. Examples include maternity units that procure umbilical cord blood and hospital operating theatres that procure cartilage cells.

Action: This is an alert that the licensing of tissue procurement may need immediate action by trusts and related bodies involved in this work. 

Consultations and evaluations

No news this week

Publications

2. Mental Capacity Act resources (Gateway reference number: 9844)

The attached letter sets out the resources previously announced and being made available for the health sector for the year 2008/09 for work in relation to the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Action:  Trusts should ensure that they fully comply with the requirements of the Mental Capacity Act. 

3. Substance misuse capital development (Gateway reference number: 9510)

The addendum guidance setting out the process for the assurance of delivery of the capital development programme for inpatient and residential rehabilitation substance misuse (drug and alcohol) services 2007/08 and 2008/09 was published on 30 April 2008. The National Treatment Agency is overseeing this process.

Action: This impacts directly on capital development programmes for all PCTs.

4.Treatment for failed asylum seekers (Gateway reference number: 9854)

A recent ruling in the High Court makes it possible for failed asylum seekers to be considered ‘ordinarily resident’ in the UK and, consequently, entitled to free NHS hospital treatment. 

Action: Chief executives should be aware of this ruling and the consequences it has for the charging regime employed in their trusts.

5. National Library for Public Health (Gateway reference number: 9735)

The National Library for Public Health, a new specialist library of the National Library for Health, was launched on the 28 April 2008 with a childhood obesity annual evidence update. 

Action: This free resource will improve access to the evidence base for public health and population-based commissioning.

6. Allan Brooking NHS Travel Fellowship (Gateway reference number: 9763)

If you are an NHS Manager you could receive a grant of up to £3,000 for travel and accommodation (within UK or abroad), to allow you to investigate innovative non-clinical healthcare management practices, in any discipline, that might benefit the wider NHS.

Action: Members of staff can be nominated for these awards by emailing:

7. National Learning Management System (Gateway reference number: 9847)

This project which will make elearning content available to all NHS employees in England who have a staff record on the Electronic Staff Record (ESR) system, is on schedule to commence piloting in June of this year. The project will involve extending the Oracle Learning Management module currently available through ESR to include access to the national and, where appropriate, local elearning course catalogue. It will also allow learners to maintain a record of their learning in a portable learning portfolio.

Action: Trusts should be aware of the 18 organisations covering every SHA which have been selected for the pilots.

Conferences and events - i) what’s new

8. Improving services for children and young people (Gateway reference number: 9806)

The NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement is hosting an event to launch a new publication and supporting materials on Thursday 26 June 2008, 10am to 4pm, Church House Conference Centre, Westminster, London. These are aimed at helping clinicians, managers and commissioners of emergency and urgent care services for children and young people.

Action: Those interested can find out more and book a free place (limited to two people per organisation) by emailing:

Conferences and events - ii) places still available

No news this week

Patient safety alerts

No news this week

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