Safeguarding the NHS for the future

29 replies [Last post]

Thu, 12/05/2011 - 8:29am

kevin

Offline

Last seen: 51 weeks 2 days ago

Joined: 09/03/2009

Progress made on key commitments on the NHS over the last year

Marking the first anniversary of the Coalition Government, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley today set out the progress made delivering the health commitments in the Coalition Agreement.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

“Over the last 12 months, we've made great progress in building a stronger NHS for the future - from giving patients more choice and control over their care, to reducing bureaucracy and waste in the NHS, whilst keeping performance up.

“We are investing an extra £11.5 billion and reinvesting every penny of efficiency savings back into frontline care, meaning £1.7 billion a year by 2014/15 will be reinvested to improve services for patients.

“We’ve taken swift action to have a cancer drugs fund, recruit more health visitors, rolled out nurse-led unannounced hospital spot-checks, and ensuring proper support is in place for patients being discharged from hospital to prevent unnecessary readmissions. The number of monthly breaches of mixed-sex accommodation has gone down since we started to publish the data. We have also removed bureaucratic targets while keeping waiting times remain broadly stable.

“We have clear support for the principles of reform and we are listening and reflecting so we can give better effect to those principles. During this pause, there will be over 200 events across the country. We have already received over 700 letters, over 1000 comments on the website, and 400 responses from patients, public and NHS staff. But we encourage more people to participate and safeguard the future of the NHS.”

Key achievements include:

Giving patients more choice and power:
• More data easily available to patients and the public than ever before – including weekly publications on MRSA, C. Difficile, and A&E and ambulance performance.
• Additional money to support people back into their homes after a spell in hospital - £70 million last year, £150 million in 2011/12, and £300 million every year from 2012/13 to 2014/15.
• Changed the rules on how hospitals are paid to make them responsible for patients for 30 days after discharge, ensuring the best care and best support services for patients after they leave hospital.

Reducing bureaucracy and waste:
• Every penny saved from efficiencies will be reinvested into frontline services to improve quality for patients, along with the additional £11.5 billion that will be invested in the NHS by 2015.
• Since May 2010, the NHS has gained 2,500 more doctors and has 3,000 fewer managers.
• £700 million of savings on NHS IT contracts.

Improving NHS performance:
• Waiting times remain low, inpatients waiting for an average of around 9 weeks and outpatients for just 3.5 weeks.
• The number of times patients placed in mixed-sex accommodation without clinical justification has fallen by over 4,200 from 11,802 in December – a fall of 36 per cent.
• C. Difficile infections have fallen by a fifth and MRSA infections have fallen by a quarter.

Investing in the future:
• The new Cancer Drugs Fund will see £600 million invested over the next three years to help cancer patients get greater access to cancer drugs their doctors recommend for them.
• Up to £400 million over the next four years will mean that a person’s mental health is treated with the same importance as their physical health. This funding will help an extra 3.2 million people access NICE-approved psychological therapies.
• There is a new drive to recruit 4,200 health visitors over the next four years.

Modernising the NHS:
• The first ever 'NHS Outcomes Framework' was published in December to shift the NHS focus towards the things which really matter most to patients.
• Over 6,500 GP practices have come forward to form GP consortia covering almost 90% of the population.
• 9 in 10 councils are establishing Health and Wellbeing Boards
• Clear, national quality standards have been published for eight conditions: chronic kidney disease; dementia; depression in adults; diabetes in adults; glaucoma; specialist neonatal care; stroke; and venous thromboembolism.
• Up to 25,000 NHS staff – delivering almost £1 billion of NHS community services – are transforming themselves into social enterprises, supporting the Government's Big Society agenda.

The Government introduced the Health and Social Care Bill in January 2011 which set out plans to modernise the health service to ensure it can meet the demands of an ageing population and rising costs of treatment, and safeguard it for the future.

The Government has used the natural break in the Parliamentary timetable to take the opportunity to pause and listen to views on plans to modernise the NHS. The NHS Future Forum has arranged over 200 separate discussions and meetings to listen to doctors, nurses, patients and public representatives.

This week alone, 11 listening events were arranged for Future Forum members, Ministers and clinical leaders. We are working with patient organisations and the NHS at local level to arrange meetings in every region across the country.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/MediaCentre/Pressreleases/DH_126678

Tue, 21/06/2011 - 1:25pm

anonymous (not verified)

Safeguarding the future of the NHS

The Government today set out further details of the improvements it will make to its plans to modernise the NHS and put patients at the heart of the health service.

Last week the Government accepted the core recommendations of the independent NHS Future Forum. Their report confirmed that there was considerable support for the principles of reform but that some of the ways in which we were putting those principles into practice could be improved. Today we have set out in more detail the substantial changes we will make to strengthen our plans in the interests of patients.

Today’s publication remains true to the core principles of modernising the NHS, to create a stronger health system for the future:

- that’s led by frontline professionals;

- where patients and the public have a stronger voice and more control;

- where people’s health and social care needs aren’t treated separately;

- where local councils have a real say over decisions in the NHS;

- that’s focused on the causes of health problems as well as treating them; and

- that’s judged on the quality of care and results for patients it provides.

As part of the Government’s full response to the independent NHS Future Forum’s report, we have today taken steps to ensure patients and carers are at the heart of the NHS so that shared decision making becomes second nature, guided by the principles that there should be ‘no decision about me, without me’.

We have also outlined the new safeguards we will introduce against price competition, privatisation and private companies ‘cherry-picking’ profitable NHS business.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

“It was right that we took the time to pause, listen, reflect and improve our plans and I believe our proposals are now stronger thanks to this process.

“I have accepted the recommendations from the team of top health experts because they will improve care for patients. The last few weeks have shown broad agreement that there is an overwhelming case for a modernised NHS, and that the principles of putting patients at the centre, focusing on results and putting professionals in charge are the right ones.

“I believe the revised plans we set out today will both safeguard the future of our NHS, and ensure it is more efficient and more accountable, moving us closer to having a high-quality health service that puts patients at the heart of everything it does.”

The Government today committed to a new ‘Duty of Candour’, a contractual requirement on providers to be open and transparent in admitting mistakes. The Health and Social Care Bill will also be amended to require Foundation Trust hospitals to hold their board meetings in public. These examples of increased transparency, openness, and accountability will allow the public and patient to more effectively challenge and scrutinise the delivery of local health services and will drive up quality.

The Government also confirmed that patients will continue to have the legal right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) beyond 2014 and the introduction of value-based pricing.

In order to ensure that Parliament has sufficient opportunity to scrutinise the Government's changes, relevant parts of the Health and Social Care Bill will be recommitted. The amendments will be published shortly.

Notes to editors

1. The government’s full response to the independent NHS Future Forum report can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_127444

2. The Government will also today publish its response to the Health Select Committee report ‘Commissioning: further issues' which was published on 5 April 2011.

3. In addition, the Government has published results of a NHS staff attitudes survey.
The survey predates the listening exercise and can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/PublishedSurvey/ListOfSurveySince1990/DH_127666

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=420003&...

Thu, 23/06/2011 - 9:37am

anonymous (not verified)

Healthcare Professionals give evidence to Lords Committee

The General Dental Council, General Pharmaceutical Council and Health Professions Council will appear before the House of Lords EU Social Policies and Consumer Protection Sub-Committee on Thursday 23 June for their inquiry into the Mobility of Healthcare Professionals within the context of the European Commission's review of the Professional Qualifications Directive.

Witnesses

At 9.40am, Committee Room 2, palace of Westminster

General Dental Council – Paul Feeney, Head of Quality Assurance
General Pharmaceutical Council – Duncan Rudkin, Chief Executive and Registrar and Martha Pawluczyk, Registration Manager

10.30am

Health Professions Council – Marc Seale, Chief Executive and Registrar

Further Information

http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select...

Thu, 23/06/2011 - 9:38am

anonymous (not verified)

Recommittal of the Health and Social Care Bill, have your say

Recommittal of the Health and Social Care Bill, now have your say

Minister of State for the Department of Health Simon Burns, moved a motion in the House of Commons on Tuesday 21 June 2011 to recommit certain Clauses of the Health and Social Care Bill to the Public Bill Committee for further consideration.

The House agreed to the motion (Ayes 297, Noes 224) to recommit certain Clauses and Schedules of the Bill to the Public Bill Committee which previously considered the Bill for further consideration. The Committee will be known as the Public Bill Committee on the Health and Social Care (Re-committed) Bill.

Watch and read the views expressed by MPS who took part in the debate:

Background

The Health Secretary made a statement to the House of Commons on Monday 4 April announcing that there would be a break in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill. The Bill had received its second reading on 31 January 2011 and completed its committee stage in the House of Commons on 31 March.

The Bill has been re-committed in respect of the following Clauses and Schedules:

in Part 1, Clauses 1 to 6, 9 to 11, 19 to 24, 28 and 29 and Schedules 1 to 3;
in Part 3, Clauses 55, 56, 58, 59, 63 to 75, 100, 101, 112 to 117 and 147 and Schedules 8 and 9;
in Part 4, Clauses 149, 156, 165, 166 and 176;
in Part 5, Clauses 178 to 180 and 189 to 193 and Schedule 15;
in Part 8, Clause 242;
in Part 9, Clause 265;
in Part 11, Clauses 285 and 286;
in Part 12, Clauses 295, 297 and 298.

Have your say

Following the re-committal of the Health and Social Care Bill there is a call for written evidence. Submissions should address matters contained within those Clauses and Schedules of the Bill which have been re-committed and concentrate on issues where you have a special interest or expertise, and factual information of which you would like the Committee to be aware.

Guidance on submitting written evidence

How to submit evidence to the Public bill Committee

Deadline for submissions

The Committee will stop receiving written evidence at the end of the Committee stage on Thursday 14 July. The sooner you send in your submission, the more time the Committee will have to take it into consideration. The Public Bill Committee is expected to meet for the first time on Tuesday 28 June.

Summary of the Bill

The Bill is intended to give effect to the reforms proposed in the NHS White Paper that require primary legislation. The White Paper: Equity and excellence: Liberating the NHS, published in July 2010, set out the Government’s aims to reduce the central direction of the NHS, to engage doctors in the commissioning of health services, and to give patients greater choice.

Keep up to date with all the proceedings on the Health and Social Care Bill and find out how a Bill becomes an Act of Parliament.

Bills before Parliament: Health and Social Care Bill

http://www.parliament.uk/business/news/2011/june/recommittal-of-the-heal...

Mon, 27/06/2011 - 4:20pm

anonymous (not verified)

Government response to the NHS Future Forum report: Briefing not

Government response to the NHS Future Forum report: Briefing notes on amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill

Following the Government's listening exercise on the Health and Social Care Bill, the NHS Future Forum published their recommendations on the future for NHS modernisation. The Government published its response on 20 June, setting out the changes it intends to make in response to the recommendations. The NHS Future Forum report and the Government response are available via the link below.

NHS Future Forum recommendations to Government

Some of the changes in the Government response require amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill. A set of Government amendments to the Bill was published on 24 June, for debate during Committee, View the Bill and track its passage through Parliament:

Health and Social Care Bill 2010-11 - Bill documents (opens new window)

This document provides briefing notes on the amendments. The notes describe the purpose and effect of the amendments, following the structure of the Government response. A fuller description of the context for the amendments and of the other changes to the modernisation plans is provided by the response.

Download Government response to the NHS Future Forum report Briefing notes on amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill (PDF, 521K)

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/Publicati...

Mon, 27/06/2011 - 4:22pm

anonymous (not verified)

Health and Social Care Bill 2011

The Health and Social Care Bill was introduced into Parliament on 19 January 2011. The Bill is a crucial part of the Government’s vision to modernise the NHS so that it is built around patients, led by health professionals and focused on delivering world-class healthcare outcomes.

The Bill takes forward the areas of Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS (July 2010) and the subsequent Government response Liberating the NHS: legislative framework and next steps (December 2010), which require primary legislation. It also includes provision to strengthen public health services and reform the Department’s arm’s length bodies.

View the Bill and track its passage through Parliament

The Parliament website hosts the Bill and the accompanying explanatory notes, which you can view by following the link below. It also shows where the Bill is in its passage through Parliament and provides access to Parliamentary debates via the link to Hansard.

Health and Social Care Bill 2010-11 on the Parliament website (opens new window)

Health and Social Care Bill 2011 – what does it do?

The Bill contains provisions covering five themes:

strengthening commissioning of NHS services
increasing democratic accountability and public voice
liberating provision of NHS services
strengthening public health services
reforming health and care arm’s-length bodies.

Government response to the NHS Future Forum report: briefing notes on amendments to the Bill

Published: 27 June 2011

The Government has produced briefing notes to accompany these amendments. The notes explain the purpose and effect of the amendments, following the structure of the Government response and linking back to the commitments made there. A fuller description of the context for the amendments and of the other changes to the modernisation plans is provided by the response.

Government response to the NHS Future Forum report: Briefing notes on amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill

Linked publications

Other publications

Impact assessments

To read more about the impact of the Bill for equality groups, or to understand the estimated costs and savings related to the changes that the Bill would implement, click the link below. The impact assessment will be updated as necessary during the passage of the Bill through Parliament.

Health and Social Care Bill 2011 - combined impact assessments

Delegated Powers Memorandum

The Delegated Powers Memorandum describes where the Bill has taken powers to make secondary legislation, which procedure would be used, and why. It will be updated during the Bill's passage and will be subject to review by the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee in the House of Lords.

Health and Social Care Bill 2011: Memorandum for the House of Lords Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee

Additional links

Also on this site:

Health and care reform (opens new window)

News, information and conversations (opens new window)

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Legislation/Actsandbil...

Wed, 13/07/2011 - 11:37am

anonymous (not verified)

Can competition and integration co-exist in a reformed NHS?

Summary

The health care system needs to respond to the growing burden of chronic illness. Many NHS researchers, managers and clinical leaders believe that increased integration within the health service will help to achieve this, and the government has made clear its ambitions that the health reforms should encourage integrated care.

This paper addresses the fundamental question of whether competition and integration can co-exist and considers the role that different bodies, especially the NHS Commissioning Board and Monitor, will play within a new system.

The paper argues that, through its influence on commissioners, the NHS Commissioning Board will have an important role in fostering an environment that encourages integration. The elements of policy design and implementation that may be most critical for fostering development of integrated service delivery include:

developing bundled payment mechanisms so that commissioners can contract for packages of care from different providers
allowing flexibility for local innovation – regulations and guidance from the NHS Commissioning Board and Monitor are critical
access to specialist procurement support for clinical commissioning groups to allow them to exploit flexibilities in procurement rules.

The paper concludes that to create effective integrated care pathways for particular conditions or individual patients the NHS Commissioning Board and Monitor will need to have a shared vision for payment currencies and clear measures of efficiency, quality and outcomes. In addition, these two bodies will need to create opportunities for experimentation, feedback and learning in their regulations and guidance in order to create conditions in which integrated provider organisations can emerge. Without clarity in policy and in regulation, competition and integration of services will be put at risk.

Visit our Health and Social Care Bill section for more commentary and analysis.

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/nhs_competition.html

Wed, 13/07/2011 - 11:38am

anonymous (not verified)

The new-look Health and Social Care Bill: What are the next step

The new-look Health and Social Care Bill: What are the next steps for clinical commissioning groups?

The pause in the Health and Social Care Bill’s progression created some uncertainty, particularly for pathfinder consortia, who were left wondering whether they should carry on developing at the pace set out in the NHS White Paper. While the government have given a greater degree of flexibility about when groups will take on full commissioning responsibilities, the pace of authorisation has not let up. The very clear message from pathfinders is a desire to get on with it.

So what should emerging clinical commissioning groups be doing to rise to the challenge? The authorisation process is still being developed by the Department of Health: we are unlikely to know the full details until the NHS Commissioning Board has at least got its feet under the table.

We do however, already know that authorisation will focus on six areas: clinical added value; clear and credible plans; capacity to deliver; collaboration; leadership development, and engagement with patients – these were all stated at the last sitting of the Health Select Committee. A self-diagnostic tool, already tested out by many pathfinder commissioning consortia, will soon be made available to all clinical commissioners. It will cover the main areas of authorisation and enable consortia to assess their own capabilities across these areas.

There is still significant interest in being authorised as soon as possible, an interest essentially born out of consortia’s desire for independence.The logistics of authorisation though will be challenging – and it is not clear how the NHS Commissioning Board will manage to process so many consortia simultaneously.

Successful authorisation will depend in part on how consortia obtain their commissioning support – this is probably the biggest challenge they face. At present there is uncertainty about the running cost allowance. Most consortia are modeling their support services on £20 to £25 per head – a sensible and pragmatic start.

However agreement needs to be reached on what support is provided locally and what needs to be done at scale. Simply put, the basic running costs for each service (their board costs for example) will allow less budget for commissioning support. There is no doubt that small size seems to achieve good clinical buy-in but how do we marry localism with overhead costs? Some areas have already developed localities under the umbrella of a single consortia, others now need to start asking these questions, as the quality of support will make or break commissioning.

Consortia – with support from primary care trust clusters, and using the self-diagnostic tool – will need to produce clear development plans. We’ve finally reached the starting line! But this isn’t a race; we rush at our peril.

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/clinical_commission.html

and http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/blog/nhs_commissioning.html

Tue, 19/07/2011 - 10:41am

anonymous (not verified)

More choice for NHS patients across the country

NHS patients will have more freedom to choose where they go for their healthcare from April 2012, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced today.

More choice will mean that when patients are referred for selected services, usually by their GP, they should be able to choose from a range of qualified providers who meet NHS quality, prices and contracts.

These providers could be NHS providers, independent sector providers, or voluntary or third sector organisations. This will enable patients to choose the provider best-placed to meet their individual needs and help to drive-up the quality of services for everyone.

To date, choice has only been available in non-urgent hospital care, but guidance published today sets out that the choice offer will be extended to community and mental health services for the first time. Following advice from patient groups, clinicians and voluntary organisations, there are eight services that have been recommended as the most suitable:

Services for back and neck pain
Adult hearing services in the community
Continence services (adults and children)
Diagnostic tests closer to home
Wheelchair services (children)
Podiatry (feet) services
Leg ulcer and wound healing
Talking Therapies (Primary Care Psychological therapies, adults)

Every area across England will be expected to offer more choice in a minimum of three services by September 2012 – either from the recommended list or for another community or mental health service that is a high local priority. The number of services will be expanded further from April 2013.

Andrew Lansley said:

“This is a big day for patients – real choice over how and where they are treated is becoming a reality. There is often confusion about these policies – a mistaken idea that competition is there for the sake of it, or to increase the independent sector’s role in the NHS.

“But let’s look at what this is really about: it’s about children getting wheelchairs more quickly. It’s about people with mental health conditions choosing to receive their care somewhere closer to home. It’s about older people being able to choose a service that will come to their home – perhaps the vital difference between staying at home or having to move into care. It’s about real choices for people over their care, leading to better results.

“We are taking a phased approach, offering choice for services where it will improve outcomes, responding to the recommendation of the NHS Future Forum which supported the Government’s policy to offer patients greater choice of provider.”

The Department of Health is also publishing its official response to the consultation on this issue, which sets out that:

Over half of respondents agreed that mental health and community health services are the best services to offer more choice from April 2012
The policy will be implemented more slowly than was originally planned
Providers will be paid a fixed price determined by a national or local tariff – competition will be on quality, not price
A national qualification process will be established to ensure that providers meet NHS quality standards, to minimise bureaucracy and reduce transaction costs
A national directory of qualified providers will be created to inform commissioners and patients

Any providers wanting to offer services to patients will be subject to a qualification process. They will need to be registered with the Care Quality Commission where appropriate and licensed by Monitor (after 2013) and will need to accept NHS prices. It will never be appropriate for some services, for example emergency ambulance admissions or A&E.

Ruth Owen, CEO of Whizz Kids, a charity that helps people access wheelchairs more quickly, said:

"We believe Any Qualified Provider will remove the barriers to faster, better wheelchair services by enabling organisations like ours to work collaboratively with the NHS to provide unmet needs, shorten waiting lists and drive innovation.

"The NHS will benefit from cheaper, more integrated services; children will benefit from better equipment and shorter waiting lists; Whizz-Kidz will benefit by developing as leaders in this field, spreading best practice and being successful in our goal to help make children's lives better - and in turn, their families and communities."

Sophie Corlett- Director of External Relations at Mind said:

“Mind is in favour of extending choice and availability for individuals in psychological therapies - both of provider and of type of therapy. We would hope that this enables people to have access to treatment in a provider near to their home or workplace and in a manner or by a therapist of their choosing.

“Choice can also make talking therapies much more effective. In a survey carried out by Mind in 2010, service users that reported having a choice of therapy were 3 times more likely to be happy with their therapy than those who wanted a choice but didn't get it.”

Chief Executive of Action on Hearing Loss, Jackie Ballard, says:

"People tell us that what matters to them is timely and convenient access to services of a reliable quality which are available free at the point of delivery. They also want their hearing loss and communication needs to be understood and to receive information on other technology or support which could be helpful. They are less concerned about who delivers the service as long as it meets their needs."

Currently patients needing elective hospital treatment (such as a hip or knee replacement, removal of a cataract or hernia repair) have a free choice of where they are treated, including many independent hospitals. Over 200,000 procedures a year are carried out by an independent hospital, paid for by the NHS. This is more than a five-fold increase over the three years this policy has been in place.

Notes to editors

1. The Department of Health has published two documents, guidance on how the NHS will deliver greater choice and the official Government response to the consultation on the policy delivering this, Any Qualified Provider (AQP). Both are available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Responsestoconsultations/DH_125442

2. The guidance sets out how patient choice of AQP will be extended over the period from now to April 2013, and the principles governing AQP in the new system architecture. Specifically:

· By October 2011, Primary Care Trust clusters are expected to engage with local patients, carers and professionals and identify three or more community or mental health services in which to implement patient choice of Any Qualified Provider in 2012/13, driven by patients' priorities fro improving the quality of NHS services.

· Between April and September 2012, PCT clusters should implement patient choice of AQP for those services.

· PCT clusters, supported by pathfinder clinical commissioning groups, should select three or more services for implementation in 2012/13 from the list set out above. Alternatively, they may choose other services which are higher local priorities, if there is a clear case to do so based on the views of service users and potential gains in quality and access. Details of how registered will be published in the autumn, along with details of who is registered on a directory.

We will work with national patient and carer groups and professionals to identify a range of services for which patient choice of AQP could be implemented next. These could include:

· Maternity – antenatal education and breastfeeding support

· Speech and Language Therapy

· Long Term Conditions self management support

· Home chemotherapy

· Primary Care Psychological Therapies (CAHMS)

· Wheelchair services (adults)

Key principles of an Any Qualified Provider approach:

· Providers qualify and register to provide services via an assurance process that tests providers’ fitness to offer NHS-funded services.

· Commissioners set local pathways and referral protocols which providers must accept

· Referring clinicians offer patients a choice of qualified providers for the service being referred to

· Competition is based on quality, not price. Providers are paid a fixed price determined by a national or local tariff.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=420469&...

Thu, 08/09/2011 - 7:08am

anonymous (not verified)

A modern NHS - putting patients and health professionals in the

A modern NHS - putting patients and health professionals in the driving seat

Following the summer recess, the Government will today take further steps in its plans to put patients at the heart of the health service and make the NHS world class.

The Health and Social Care Bill will return to Parliament today to discuss the Government’s plans to modernise the NHS and to safeguard it for the future.

The Bill’s core principle of modernising the NHS is to create a stronger health system:

where the Secretary of State will continue, as now, to promote and be accountable for a comprehensive health service;
driven by health professionals, not Whitehall and bureaucracy;
where patients and the public are in the driving seat of their care, supported with more choice, information and control;
with greater integration of services;
with a new ‘Duty of Candour’, a contractual requirement on providers to be open and transparent in admitting mistakes, and;
that’s focused on prevention and tackling the causes of poor health and health inequalities.

In addition, the Government has previously outlined safeguards that protect against price competition, privatisation and private companies ‘cherry-picking’ profitable NHS business.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

“The Health and Social Care Bill will both safeguard the future of our NHS, and move us closer to a health service that puts patients at the heart of everything it does.

“It ensures that future generations can rely, as previous ones have – on an NHS that is always there, always improving and always free at the point of use.

“The principles of our modernisation plans – patient power, clinical leadership, a focus on results, stated in the Coalition Agreement and again in last year’s White Paper – have always been at the core of the Bill. Principles which are widely accepted as reported by the independent NHS Future Forum. They called for us now to get on; and today we are getting on with modernising the NHS.”

Earlier this year the Government strengthened its plans to modernise the NHS following the recommendations of the independent NHS Future Forum. The Forum’s report concluded that there was considerable support for the principles of reform and that the NHS must change to meet future challenges.

The Bill has so far spent longer being scrutinised than any Public Bill between 1997 and 2010 — 40 Committee sittings, and over 100 hours of debate. It will now continue the legislative process.

Notes to editors

Notes to Editors:

Further information on the amendments can be found at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2011/09/further-amendments-in-response-to-nhs-future-forum/
The government’s full response to the independent NHS Future Forum report can be at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_127444

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=421072&...

Fri, 14/10/2011 - 10:02am

#10

anonymous (not verified)

Summary Care Record: giving patients a stronger voice

For the 15 million patients in the UK with a long term condition, it can be a real struggle communicating their needs, especially in an emergency. Asthma patients being asked to repeat their medical history when they can’t breathe. The patient with lung disease carrying around a wash bag with “Please make sure I take this medication” written on it when admitted to hospital.

Charities and patient groups are increasingly recognising that one of the easiest and most effective ways of giving patients a stronger voice is the Summary Care Record.

This is a relatively new national, electronic record containing basic information about medications, allergies and bad reactions to drugs. It is mainly being used by out of hours GPs to provide safer care where no other information is available. So far, just under a fifth of patients in England, where the record is gradually being introduced, have had a record created for them.

Patients are in the driving seat. They can easily opt out of having a record and decide who sees it. They can also speak to their GP about adding the most crucial information that they want the NHS to know about them to their record.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign has urged their patients to do just this. It was a key recommendation in their recent report Hospitals in Focus, which highlighted how neuromuscular patients have been left permanently needing to use a wheelchair following inappropriate treatment given by doctors ignorant of their specialist needs. Mencap, Asthma UK, Diabetes UK and the British Lung Foundation are also now raising awareness among their patients about how Summary Care Record could benefit them.
With these groups seizing the initiative, there is an encouraging opportunity here to see “no decision about me without me” in action.

The Department wants to encourage this debate and hear what you would like the NHS to know about you, in an emergency.

You can comment below, or get in touch using the details on our contact page.

Read the Hospitals in Focus report

Read the press release

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2011/10/summary-care-record-giving-patients-...

Fri, 14/10/2011 - 2:06pm

#11

John

Offline

Last seen: 1 day 10 hours ago

Joined: 09/03/2008

Summary Care Record & HIV+ patients

People living with HIV/AIDS may need to consider the impact of a Summary Care Record for them in relation to who has access to it. I know some people are pleased with this system but others have confidentiality issues.

I hope many of the issues have been addressed an I would welcome anyone providing relevant information.

The British Medical Journal has an story "Do summary care records have the potential to do more harm than good?" by Ross Anderson, Professor of security engineering which raises many concerns.

The Terrence Higgins Trust covers "Confidentiality and Electronic records or Summary Care Records" on there myhiv.org.uk website

You can also get answers to "Frequently asked questions" from the NHS Summary Care Records website.

Living with HIV/AIDS remains the most stigmatising health condition. Not something shared by many charities who support the use of Summary Care Records. We are not advocating against or for Summary Care Records as we believe it a personal choice however we want people to be aware of the detail to inform that choice.

Fri, 14/10/2011 - 10:03am

#12

anonymous (not verified)

Guidance on choice of named consultant-led team

New guidance published today sets out how NHS providers will have to accept all clinically appropriate referrals made by clinicians to named hospital consultant-led teams. The guidance is for providers and commissioners on implementing the choice of named consultant-led team for a first consultant-led outpatient appointment for elective care where clinically appropriate.

NHS patients in England will have the freedom to choose not only where they are treated, but who provides their hospital care from April 2012, as part of the Government’s plans to improved patient choice.

NHS providers will have to publish information about their consultants and the services they provide, ensuring greater transparency in the NHS and enabling patients to make informed choices about their care.

Patients will be free to choose the consultant team best placed to meet their individual needs and deliver the best possible results for them.

Patients might choose a named consultant-led team that has the most experience of a particular condition or treatment on the advice of their GP, while others might choose to be treated by the consultant who has treated them successfully in the past. There will be no geographical boundaries imposed on referrals.

Read the Government’s response to the consultation that helped shaped the guidance for the NHS.

http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2011/10/named-consultant/

Fri, 14/10/2011 - 10:07am

#13

anonymous (not verified)

Summary Care Record to benefit millions of patients with long te

Summary Care Record to benefit millions of patients with long term conditions, say patient groups

A year on from a Ministerial review that confirmed the importance of Summary Care Records in supporting urgent and emergency care, patient groups are advocating its use to improve care for the millions of people with long term conditions they represent.

The Muscular Dystrophy Campaign recently recommended that their patients consider adding important information about their conditions to their Summary Care Record to improve their experience of hospital care. Mencap, Asthma UK, Diabetes UK and the British Lung Foundation are also now looking to raise awareness among their members about how the record could benefit patients when they are being treated by doctors and nurses in an emergency who may unfamiliar with their particular condition.

The Summary Care Record is a secure, electronic patient record which is currently being introduced in England. Last October’s review, commissioned by Health Minister Simon Burns, restricted the record to carrying basic information about medications, allergies and bad reactions to drugs. So for example, patients with asthma would no longer need to be asked to repeat their medical history while struggling to breathe. Patients can however speak to their GP about adding extra information they may want the NHS to know about them in an emergency to their Summary Care Record.

The main issue identified by patient groups which the SCR could help remedy is patients having difficulties communicating their needs; whether it is a nurse not knowing how to tell if a patient with learning disabilities and limited verbal skills is in pain to ensuring a doctor unfamiliar with neuromuscular conditions does not deliver inappropriate treatment that could leave a patient permanently needing to use a wheelchair.

Following the Ministerial review, patients can easily opt out of having a Summary Care Record if they wish to by using the opt out form and freepost envelope included in letters being sent to patients or by consulting their GP. As an added safeguard, patients will always be asked their permission before their SCR is viewed.

Health Minister, Simon Burns, said:

“I am delighted that, a year on from our review, patients and groups representing them are seizing the initiative in exploring how the Summary Care Record can best meet their needs. They have given us valuable insights into just how crucial it is that clinicians have the right information at the right time to deliver the safest, most effective care."

“With the Summary Care Record, patients are very much in the driving seat. They can decide, in discussion with their clinicians, what extra information, over and above core data about medications and allergies, they may want the NHS to know about them in an emergency. This has the potential to transform the experience of healthcare for millions of patients with long term conditions and for their families and carers."

Medical Director, Professor Sir Bruce Keogh said:

“It is heartening that, a year on from our review, trust and confidence in the Summary Care Record is building. Patients with long term conditions come into frequent contact with the NHS, often needing unplanned and emergency care from clinicians unfamiliar with them or their specialist condition. It cannot be right that some of these patients feel they have to carry around medication information on scraps of paper or are asked to accurately recall important health information when they are ill and vulnerable."

“The Summary Care Record offers patients the reassurance that they can easily make the most crucial information about their condition available to anyone treating them.”

Neil Churchill, Chief Executive Officer of Asthma UK, said:

“Summary care records are a vital step forward in delivering safe and effective patient care. Patients with asthma can have long and detailed medical histories and it is unrealistic to expect them to repeat these whilst they are struggling to breathe, and causes unnecessary pain and stress. As a consenting patient with a long-term condition, I expect my medical details to be available wherever they are needed, which will ensure my safety in emergencies and improve consistency and quality of care whichever part of the NHS I deal with.”

Caroline Stevens, Interim Chief Operating Officer at the British Lung Foundation said:

“The Summary Care Record will bring many benefits for patients but especially those with a lung disease who are often admitted to hospital in an emergency if their condition flares up unexpectedly. The records will mean that healthcare professionals have the most current information and will be able to treat patients quickly, efficiently and accurately. We will be working to raise awareness of the record amongst all of our members.”

Nic Bungay, Director of Campaigns, Care and Support at the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign said:

“We see the great potential for Summary Care Records to support staff across the NHS in dealing with rare conditions, such as muscular dystrophy, and are committed to raising awareness of the scheme amongst our supporters. Our recent report into hospital care for neuromuscular patients, Hospitals in Focus, highlighted a multitude of incidences when patients would have benefitted from being enabled to present information on their conditions in a formal way."

“We encourage patients to take ownership over the records and to communicate the ways in which they feel the record could best be used to support individual care.”

David Congdon, Mencap’s head of campaigns and policy, said:

“For patients with a learning disability, the potential benefit of the Summary Care Record would be if they are able to add key information about their needs that they want clinicians to know at the point of treatment. This could be important information about how they communicate, for example, how they show they are in pain. The record could also provide contact details for their carer."

“Mencap’s landmark Death by Indifference report in 2007, and subsequent reports and inquiries, have shown that people with a learning disability face discrimination within the health system, and in some cases die needlessly. Consequently, information in a patient’s Summary Care Record could prove vital for health professionals, especially in cases where a person communicates non-verbally and is therefore reliant on health professionals
having sufficient knowledge and understanding of them to provide good and safe healthcare.”

Bridget Turner, Head of Policy and Care Improvement at Diabetes UK, said:

“Summary Care Records are an important part of improving access to information which could prove vital in emergency situations to ensure people with diabetes receive timely and appropriate treatment. We will be looking raise awareness about the record among our members over the coming months.”

Notes to editors:

1) To date, 8.8 million SCRs have been created and 33.5 million patients written to. There are twelve areas in England where over half of the patient population has a record.

2) The current recorded opt out rate is 1.24 per cent.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=421552&...

Fri, 14/10/2011 - 10:08am

#14

anonymous (not verified)

Greater choice for NHS patients across the country

NHS patients in England will have the freedom to choose, not only where, but who provides their hospital care from April 2012, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced today.

A survey carried out on behalf of the Department of Health shows that this is in line with what patients want:

over 80 per cent of patients want more choice over how and where they are treated in the NHS; and
nearly three quarters of patients want more choice in who provides their hospital care.

As part of the Government’s plans to modernise the NHS and improve patient choice, new guidance published today sets out how all NHS providers of care will have to accept all clinically appropriate referrals to named hospital consultant-led teams.

In addition, NHS providers will have to publish relevant information about their consultants and the services they provide, ensuring greater transparency in the NHS and enabling patients to make informed choices about their care.

There will be no geographical boundaries imposed on referrals. Patients will be entirely free to choose the consultant team best placed to meet their individual needs and deliver the best possible results for them.

Some patients may choose a named consultant-led team which has the most experience of a particular condition or treatment on the advice of their GP, others may choose to be treated by the consultant who has treated them successfully in the past.

Andrew Lansley said:

“This marks yet another step towards modernising the NHS and giving patients a greater say in their healthcare. To date, patient choice in the NHS has been very limited, but that’s all about to change. From April next year, patients will be able to choose not only where, but who provides their care.

“But this will only work if patients can access relevant information about NHS consultants and the services they provide. That’s why all NHS providers will be required to publish this vital information and support real patient choice.

“We know that transparency can drive up standards of care and improve services for patients and that’s what this is all about – providing real choices for people over their care, leading to better results.”

ENDS

Notes to editors

For more information, please contact the Department of Health press office on 0207 210 5221.

The Government’s response to the Choice of named consultant-led team consultation and the guidance to the NHS on how to implement choice of consultant-led team can be found here: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/category/publications/consultations/consultation-responses/

The full survey findings show:
- 84.80 per cent of respondents want more choice in where they are treated in the NHS
- 81.93 per cent of respondents want more choice in how they are treated in the NHS
- 53.18 per cent of respondents were not aware that they can choose which hospital to go to for non-emergency treatment
- 77.41 per cent of respondents wanted a choice over which hospital consultant is in charge of their care
- 78.23 per cent of respondents wanted a choice over which hospital consultant is in charge over their children’s care.

Services currently excluded from choice of consultant-led team are:
- Accident and emergency services
- Cancer services, which are subject to the two week maximum waiting time
- Maternity services
- Mental health services
- Any other services where it is necessary to provide urgent care

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=421546&...

Fri, 14/10/2011 - 10:09am

#15

anonymous (not verified)

The public wants more choice of NHS care

The public wants more say and greater choice over their NHS healthcare according to a new patient survey carried out by an independent research company on behalf of the Department of Health.

The new survey of 5,000 people reveals that over 80 per cent of patients want more choice over how and where they are treated in the NHS and nearly three quarters of patients want more choice in who provides their hospital care.

Full results of the survey show that:

80.88 per cent of respondents want more choice in where they are treated in the NHS
78.62 per cent of respondents want more choice in how they are treated in the NHS
49.52 per cent of respondents were not aware that they can choose which hospital to go to for non-emergency treatment
74.88 per cent of respondents wanted a choice over which hospital consultant is in charge of their care
74.62 per cent of respondents wanted a choice over which hospital consultant is in charge over their children’s care.

Women and older people in particular want to see more patient choice in the NHS. Nine out of 10 people over the age of 55 want to have a greater say in how and where they are treated.

Under the Government’s modernisation plans, patients will be able to choose, not only where, but which NHS consultant team provides their hospital care.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

“This is clear evidence that patients want more choice and control over their healthcare, which is exactly what our plans to modernise the NHS are all about. Patients no longer want to settle for second best - they want what’s best for them and their families and they don’t want to be restricted by geographical boundaries or bureaucratic rules.

“Patient choice in the NHS has been very limited, but that is about to change. We want to see a health service that works around patients – not the other way around. The NHS should be there to serve patients and the public – not vested interests. That’s why we’re modernising the NHS and improving patient choice.”

Notes to editors

For more information please contact the Department of Health press office on 020 7210 5221

One Poll carried out the survey using a representative sample of 5,000 people in England. The fieldwork was carried out on 3 and 4 October 2011.

The survey was commissioned as part of the Department of Health’s ongoing opinion research which seeks to understand people’s views and attitudes towards health and NHS issues.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=421542&...

Fri, 14/10/2011 - 10:14am

#16

anonymous (not verified)

A MORE TRANSPARENT AND SAFER NHS FOR PATIENTS

Over a million patient safety incidents are reported every year, so the Government will set out proposals that will require NHS providers to be more open and admit when things go wrong.

The new ‘Duty of Candour’ consultation will form part of the Government’s plans to modernise the NHS by making it more accountable and transparent and giving patients and local clinicians more power to hold the NHS to account. This was also signalled in the Government’s response to the independent Future Forum in June 2011.

The contractual Duty of Candour in healthcare will be an enforceable duty on providers to be open and honest with patients or their families when things go wrong ensuring they receive information about any investigations and encouraging the NHS to learn lessons.

Being open with patients when something goes wrong is a key component of developing a safety culture; a culture where all incidents are reported, discussed, investigated and learned from.

In particular, the consultation will ask stakeholders the best way of enforcing such a contractual duty and asks some key questions on the following areas:

What exactly should the Duty require the NHS to do?
What should the penalties be for breaching the duty?
Should organisations have to make an annual ‘declaration of openness’?
What support do patients and clinicians feel would help them act when they feel the NHS is not being open about an incident?

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

"We must develop a culture of openness in the NHS. This is a key part of how a modern NHS should be – open and accountable to the public and patients to drive improvements in care.

“That's why we are introducing a requirement on providers to be transparent in admitting mistakes. We need to find the most effective way to promote openness and hold those organisations who are not open to account.

“A more transparent NHS is a safer NHS where patients can be confident of receiving high quality care."

Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, Chair of the National Patient Safety Agency, commented,

"When something goes wrong in healthcare, making the patient and family aware of it should be the norm. An honest mistake is something the NHS should learn from. It could save another patient's life in the future. Secrecy and cover-ups are not just patronising but they are dangerous because they suppress learning.

“Good practice elsewhere in the world shows that if such disclosure is done well, patients and families will often work positively with a hospital's staff to ensure their experience is part of the solution to making future care safer."

It was also announced today that another 13 groups of GPs and front-line clinicians have come forward to lead the way in modernising the NHS. In total there are now 266 pathfinder clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) across the country beginning to design high quality services to deliver the best results for their patients.

Notes to editors

1. For more information, please contact the Department of Health press office on 0207 210 5221 or 07050 073 581

2. The consultation runs until 2 January 2012 and will be available this week at www.dh.gov.uk

3. Over one million patient safety incidents are reported to the National Patient Safety Agency’s National Reporting and Learning System (NRLS) every year. Of the patient safety incidents reported,

Almost 790,856 (69 per cent) resulted in no harm to the patient;
270,114 (24 per cent) resulted in low harm;
69,154 (6 per cent) resulted in moderate harm;
9,650 (0.6 per cent) resulted in death or severe harm.

These are for incidents reported during the period January 2010 - December 2010 (published 10 August 2011) http://www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk/resources/collections/quarterly-data-summaries/?entryid45=131140)

4. The consultation proposes to contractually require providers of NHS funded care to be open according to the principles of the ‘Being Open’ policy published by the National Patient Safety Agency. We propose that enforcement of the requirement to be open is limited to those incidents involving moderate and severe harm or death.

5. It is proposed that the requirement would be inserted into the NHS Standard Contracts, which set out standard terms and conditions that all organisations providing NHS-funded secondary or community care must agree to. This therefore includes the providers of NHS acute hospital, community, ambulance and mental health services. This means that any requirement placed in the NHS Standard Contracts would apply across NHS Trusts, NHS Foundation Trusts, the independent, charitable and voluntary sectors and social enterprises, where they are providing NHS-funded care.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=421531&...

Sun, 23/10/2011 - 8:13am

#17

anonymous (not verified)

NHS reforms: Audit areas to be extended, Lansley says

Monitoring of NHS healthcare is to be extended to 11 extra areas of medicine, the health secretary has announced.

Andrew Lansley told GPs in Liverpool that auditing would be extended to areas including HIV and breast cancer.

He said publishing better data would allow patients to make more informed choices and specialists to "compare themselves with the best".

Mr Lansley also defended plans to give GPs more commissioning responsibility under the government's NHS reforms.

In his speech to the Royal College of GPs' conference, Mr Lansley said the government's Health and Social Care Bill would encourage competition and that GPs wanted more say in the running of the service.

"For years, GPs have been telling me, 'if only they would listen to us, we could do it so much better'," he said.

"Well as I say, I am now 'they'. I am listening to you. And I do want you to do it better.

"At the heart, then and now, of doing it better for patients is for clinicians to be at the heart of commissioning."

Speaking to BBC News before Saturday's conference, Mr Lansley said that offering more choice for patients did not mean privatisation.

"We're not looking to turn the NHS into some kind of private industry, far from it.

"It's a public service and it has to be integrated around the needs of patients.

"But there is a role, a big role, for patients in being able to exercise choice and therefore by extension where patients exercise choice, you have to have a choice amongst providers."

Mr Lansley told the conference outcomes for patients in areas of medicine including breast cancer, prostate cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease would be "audited, monitored and regularly published in the future".

"From December we will pilot the publication of clinical audit data to detail the performance of clinical teams. This will then be rolled out across England from April next year," he said.

"Better data means better quality in the NHS - for patients, for their specialist clinicians, and crucially for you - both as their GPs and as the future commissioners of those services," he said.

Controversy over policy

The NHS reforms in the Health and Social Care Bill would increase competition and put GP-led groups in control of buying care in their areas.

Ministers say the changes are vital to help the NHS cope with the demands of an ageing population, the costs of new drugs and treatments and the impact of lifestyle factors, such as obesity.

The reforms have been one of the most controversial areas of government policy over the past year and had to be put on hold in the spring amid mounting criticisms from the medical profession, academics and MPs.

It led to ministers making a number of concessions, including giving health professionals other than GPs more power over how NHS funds are spent as well as watering down the role of competition.

Earlier this month, the House of Lords rejected a proposed amendment that would have referred parts of the bill to a special select committee.

It will now proceed to a normal committee stage in the Lords.

However, Labour's shadow health secretary Andy Burnham has said his party will continue to fight for "substantial and drastic changes" to the bill.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-15416115

Mon, 31/10/2011 - 9:15am

#18

anonymous (not verified)

New NHS Board will help patients 'shop around' for GP

The new NHS Commissioning Board, which is at the heart of the government's controversial NHS reforms in England, is due to start work.

The board, which will at first operate in a shadow form, will aim to help patients "shop around" and compare GPs.

It will take on the day-to-day running of the NHS, with a staff of around 3,500 and overall responsibility for NHS care worth £80bn.

But critics say the board could prove unaccountable and overbearing.

Its role includes overseeing the new clinical commissioning groups led by GPs and other clinicians who will "buy" care within the NHS, and organising the treatment of complicated conditions such as heart transplants.

Sir David Nicholson, chief executive of the board, said: "We'll publish information about general practice, so you can compare what your GP provides compared with others in the area and nationally.

"We think this will be a very powerful mechanism for patients to make choices about which GPs they use.

"If you've got a long-term condition, you might want to think in future about different GPs and whether they're providing a full range of service for that condition."

Sir David added: "We know that there are always teething troubles when you are issuing clinical data. People are concerned about the quality of it, and inevitably we'll have to discuss this with GPs.

"But I think that we can get over all of that, and do a really good job for GPs and patients."

'Consistency'

The new board and its duties go to the heart of recent rows in Parliament about how the health secretary's role will change under the Health and Social Care Bill.

Sir David said: "Whilst the secretary of state has overall responsibility for the NHS, and for setting up the architecture to make that happen, he will also set out a mandate for the board.

Mon, 31/10/2011 - 9:18am

#19

anonymous (not verified)

New hospital mortality indicator to improve measurement of patie

New hospital mortality indicator to improve measurement of patient safety

New information on mortality rates in NHS hospitals has been published today as part of plans to give patients and the public more transparent and robust information about their local NHS.

The new Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) compares the actual number of patients who die following treatment at a trust with the number who would be expected to die, given the characteristics of the patients treated there.

For the first time, it considers all deaths that take place both in hospital and within 30 days of discharge, offering a more comprehensive picture of deaths following hospital care.
The SHMI shows mortality rates for every acute non-specialist trust in England - providing a single comprehensive indicator that will be used consistently across the NHS. It will also highlight trusts with the lowest mortality which can provide valuable learning on how quality of care can be improved.

Each trust has a single SHMI value but the data has been published with two different methods of categorising trusts as having ‘as expected’, ‘higher than expected’ and ‘lower than expected’ mortality rates. One method reduces the potential for falsely identifying borderline trusts as ‘higher than expected’, and therefore identifies fewer trusts as higher or lower than expected. The other method is more sensitive, identifying more trusts as higher or lower than expected.

The data shows:
• the vast majority of trusts have a mortality rate that falls within an expected range – 119 using the less sensitive control limits and 79 using the more sensitive control limits
• for Trusts with higher than expected mortality, 14 outliers are identified using the less sensitive control limits and 36 using the more sensitive control limits
• 14 trusts have lower than expected mortality using the less sensitive control limits and 32 Trusts for the more sensitive control limits.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

“We are determined to improve patient safety and shine a light on poor performance by giving patients, public and the NHS more robust information about their hospital trust.

“As I have highlighted this week, we are doing all we can to improve care for patients and help turn around struggling hospitals.

“This new measure will help ensure patient safety by acting like a smoke alarm to prompt further investigation. Alongside other data, this will help the NHS in future to spot and act on poor care as soon as possible. We are determined to learn the lessons of the appalling events at Mid Staffordshire – this data will help us avoid a repeat of that tragedy.

"A more transparent NHS is a safer NHS where patients can be confident of receiving high quality care.”

NHS Medical Director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, who commissioned the review of mortality indicators on behalf of the National Quality Board, said:

“The SHMI adds to our understanding of hospital mortality, but no one indicator alone can give us a complete picture of a hospital’s performance.

“For example, no-one would buy a car based only on the mileage or how many miles you get to the gallon – you would look at lots of information before making a decision. In the same way, to truly understand the quality of care at a hospital, you must look at this alongside other information.

“All hospital trusts, regardless of whether they are ‘outliers’, need to examine, understand and explain their SHMI – and identify where performance may be falling short. Trusts with a low mortality rate could also provide valuable learning about how quality of care can be improved.”

Hospital mortality ratios are complex indicators which have prompted international debate about their definition and interpretation. The Francis Review into Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust recognised the uncertainty this debate was causing and recommended a national review into hospital mortality ratios so that variations and trends associated with hospital deaths could be better understood. That review was carried out by a wide range of the experts and reached a consensus on SHMI as a new indicator.

The indicator is still new and ‘experimental’ - refinements will have to be made in the future. No statistical model can ever perfectly estimate the risk of mortality.

ENDS

Notes to editors

1. The Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicator (SHMI) shows mortality rates for every acute non-specialist trust in England for the period from 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011.
2. Summary Hospital-level Mortality Indicators are intended to compare the observed number of deaths that actually occurred at a hospital with a statistical estimate of the number of deaths that might have been expected, based upon national average death rates and the particular characteristics of the patients treated in each hospital.
3. It is statistically invalid to rank hospitals' quality of care in a league table based on their SHMI value because the SHMI on its own does not measure the quality of care. But it is valid to identify those hospitals with a higher or lower than expected mortality ratio using SHMI because it is designed to assess whether the mortality rate at an individual hospital is within the expected range or not after taking into account the risk profile of patients served by that hospital.
4. Following the Review of the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR) in 2010, the Department of Health committed to adopting the SHMI as the single summary-level indicator for hospital mortality. It commissioned the NHS Information Centre to develop, deliver and publish the SHMI as it does all national indicators.
5. The SHMI gives a broader picture of hospital mortality than the Hospital Standardised Mortality Ratio (HSMR). It includes all deaths in all settings - not just in hospital – up to 30 days after discharge and covers all clinical codes rather than just those relating to 80 per cent of the most common causes of death in hospital. Therefore it is not possible to compare SHMIs with HSMRs.
6. The SHMI values for each non-specialist acute trusts are being published by the NHS Information Centre: www.ic.nhs.uk/pubs/shmi1011
7. Information on the SHMI for non-specialist hospital trusts will also be available to patients on the NHS Choices website: www.nhs.uk/comparehospitals
8. A consensus statement on the SHMI, supported by a range of stakeholders, has been published on the Department of Health website: www.dh.gov.uk/health/2011/10/publication-shmi/
9. The Francis Review recommended that:
“In view of the uncertainties surrounding the use of comparative mortality statistics in assessing hospital performance and the understanding of the term ‘excess’ deaths, an independent working group should be set up by the Department of Health to examine and report on the methodologies in use. It should make recommendations as to how such mortality statistics should be collected, analysed and published, both to promote public confidence and understanding of the process, and to assist hospitals to use such statistics as a prompt to examine particular areas of patient care.“
10. This indicator has been developed in collaboration with a range of national stakeholders following a review commissioned in 2010 by medical director for the NHS in England Sir Bruce Keogh and chaired by Ian Dalton, then chief executive of the North East Strategic Health Authority. It involved a wide range of stakeholders, including the Department of Health, representatives from strategic health authorities and trusts, the NHS IC, the Care Quality Commission, Monitor, the Kings Fund, the Academy of Royal Colleges, the NHS Confederation, Dr Foster Intelligence, CHKS, University Hospitals Birmingham, the National Patient Safety Agency and Professor Sir Brian Jarman and colleagues from Imperial College. During 2011, several members have continued to support and contribute to the technical work associated with the development and construction of the SHMI (from the Department of Health, the Care Quality Commission, Dr Foster Intelligence, Dr Foster Imperial , CHKS and University Hospitals Birmingham).

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=421769&...

Tue, 08/11/2011 - 2:52pm

#20

anonymous (not verified)

NHS Bill: Lobby your local Peer

The House of Lords are currently debating the controversial Health and Social Care Bill, which we believe strikes at the founding principles of the NHS as a genuinely public service.

If you have concerns about the Bill too, the Peers need to hear from you.

But contacting Peers is difficult as they don't have constituency responsibilities like MPs.

However when Peers are ennobled, they adopt the name of a place with which they have an affinity. It has to be stressed that they don't necessarily live there, and there's absolutely no responsibility on them to look after the interests of this area, or take representation from residents, but as they get to choose it, it's a fair bet they'll know more about the location, and care about it.

If you have experience and concerns on the health service in your particular area, you can use this to find a Peer who may be more aware of the situation.

We've mapped the Peers to their chosen or hereditary locations. Zoom in to your area, and you'll see the Peers listed as 'nearest' to you. If your nearest Peer has a dot on their marker, you can click through to our mailer tool to write them an email about the Health and Social Care Bill.

If you've a choice, try to focus on crossbench (non party aligned) or Liberal Democrat Peers, as they may be more likely to consider switching to vote against some aspects of the Bill.

Once you've written to them, returning to our mailer tool and entering the same email address will match you up again with the same Peer, if you want to make a follow up contact.

Alternatively, if you don't find one with interests near you, try our other tool, which randomly allocates you a Peer to adopt.

http://www.goingtowork.org.uk/peers-map/

Thu, 10/11/2011 - 12:31pm

#21

anonymous (not verified)

The NHS Equality Delivery System (EDS)

Throughout 2011/12 the NHS Employers organisation is helping to develop and roll out the Department of Health's Equality Delivery System (EDS).

About the Equality Delivery System

Key EDS documents (29 July 2011)

Who it covers

What it delivers

Implementation of EDS

Our work programme

Further information and resources

About the Equality Delivery System

The EDS is designed to help NHS organisations improve equality performance, embed equality into mainstream NHS business and is one of the key products to come out of the Equality and Diversity Council (EDC).

The EDS is designed for the NHS by the NHS and is based on:

best practice from across industry, including the Equality Framework for local government
the views of over 660 people (including patients & staff)
reviews and reports on equality in the NHS, including guidance from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC)
learning from programmes such as Pacesetters, Breaking Through and Positively Diverse.

Key EDS documents

The following five documents were published on the 29 July and are available to download from the East Midlands website:

The EDS for the NHS: Main text
The EDS for the NHS: Equality Analysis
The EDS for the NHS: 9 Easy Steps
The EDS for the NHS: Grades Manual
The EDS for the NHS: Statement on costs and benefits

Who it covers

The EDS applies to all NHS organisations, both current and planned NHS commissioning organisations, including GP Consortia, and to NHS providers including foundation trusts.

What it delivers

By using the EDS, you will be able to meet the requirements of the Equality Act and be better placed to meet the registration requirements of the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The EDS helps the NHS to deliver on:

the NHS Outcomes framework
the right and pledges of the NHS Constitution for patients and staff
addressing health inequalities in general, improving outcomes and reducing gaps.

Implementation of EDS

The EDS work is being led by Tim Rideout, Implementation Director, NHS Commissioning Board on behalf of the EDC. To date the EDS proposals have been developed by a working group which includes representatives from strategic health authorities, primary care trusts, the NHS Employers organisation and the Care Quality Commission, supported by Department of Health officials.

The timeline for the implementation of EDS is as follows:

July 2011 - Roll-out of the EDS to the NHS
September 2011- Evaluation of the EDS commences
October 2011 - Launch of the EDS
April 2012 - EDS is implemented

Our work programme

The NHS Employers organisation is working with the EDS support team to help employers effectively implement the EDS into their organisations. Our work will include:

providing technical expert advice on how the EDS works
supporting employers to intergrate the EDS into their corporate governance structures
working with regional EDS leads to capture good practice examples for others to learn from
promoting the EDS through appropriate regional and national events, conferences and meetings
liaising with colleagues in other parts of the public sector to promote the EDS and explore how it can compliment and read across to similar frameworks

Further information and resources

There is a range of resources and materials that have been developed to support NHS organisations to implement the EDS, see the NHS East Midlands website for more details about resource and materials.

If you would like to know what is happening in your area please contact your Strategic Health Authority equality lead, see the NHS East Midlands website for details of the regional leads.

http://www.nhsemployers.org/EmploymentPolicyAndPractice/EqualityAndDiver...

Sat, 19/11/2011 - 1:07pm

#22

anonymous (not verified)

Government welcomes provisional advice from the NHS Future Forum

The independent NHS Future Forum, a group of the country’s top health experts, has today published its interim advice on integrated care, patient information and public health in a modern NHS, after listening to thousands of NHS staff, patients and the public as well as voluntary sector organisations.

The advice follows a request from the Prime Minister earlier this year for the NHS Future Forum to continue its successful dialogue and consider certain key themes with staff, patients and the public.

The interim advice and recommendations published today are aimed at informing the 2012/13 NHS Operating Framework and the plans around a new public health system.

The advice stresses that information about health and social care services must be published in a transparent and usable form and patients must have better access to health care records. It also calls for a national partnership across the NHS and public health.

The final reports, which will also include recommendations on education and training, will be published towards the end of the year.

In his meeting with the NHS Future Forum yesterday, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

"It is clear that the approach taken by the NHS Future Forum, both during the listening exercise and in its current phase, has provided us with invaluable feedback and insight from patients and NHS staff on what the NHS needs to do to improve outcomes and put patients at the heart of everything it does.

“The interim advice and recommendations are very useful and we will take them into consideration before we publish the 2012/13 NHS Operating Framework and further details about the new public health system.

"This shows the importance of engaging with patients and staff to ensure services are designed around patients. I look forward to the Forum’s final report later in the year.”

Ends

Notes to editors

1. For more information, please contact the Department of Health Newsdesk on 020 7210 5221

2. The interim advice can be found here: http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/ff-letter/

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=422107&...

Wed, 14/12/2011 - 12:02pm

#23

anonymous (not verified)

More NHS funding to drive improvement More NHS funding to drive

£91.6 billion to go direct to frontline NHS

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley today announced that the NHS will get a funding boost of over £2.5 billion to provide services for patients in 2012-13.

Next year, £91.6 billion will go direct to Primary Care Trusts – a 2.8 per cent increase in total allocations.

This investment in the NHS represents a real-terms increase in health spending and shows the Government’s determination to ensure that patients have access to high quality local NHS services – a significant step given the difficult economic climate.

The £91.6bn investment in the NHS can be broken down by:

* £87.5 billion for allocations to Primary Care Trusts to provide care for local patients. This includes £300m for re-ablement services to help give people the community care they need to become more independent after being in hospital, which is double the £150m invested in 2011/12.

* £4.1 billion will be invested in dental and eye care, pharmaceutical services and support for joint working between health and social care.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley, said:

"I am committed to the NHS and to services for patients. We are continuing to meet our commitment to increase the NHS budget in real terms. This will mean a £2.5bn increase next year."

"The extra investment gives Primary Care Trusts a strong platform to sustain and improve NHS services for patients. But despite this extra spending, the NHS must still strive to get the best value out of every penny it spends to meet rising demand and continue to improve results for patients."

"In the future, we want those closest to patients – doctors, nurses and other clincians – to be in charge of the NHS budget to deliver care for patients. Next year, the NHS will be bringing clinical leadership to the forefront in planning services for patients.”

The allocations place the NHS in a strong position to deliver the Government’s national priorities set out in the recently published 2012-13 NHS Operating Framework.

Notes to Editors

1. A table detailing all the PCT allocations can be found at:
http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2011/12/pct-allocations

2. The real terms increase in funding is 0.1 percentage points above the GDP deflator inflation rate.

3. Since the start of 2011/12, we will have invested £450m in reablement services.

4. Subject to the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill, this will be the last round of allocations made to PCTs as the NHS Commissioning Board would be responsible for the allocation of resources and pace of change policy to clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) from 2013-14.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/Detail.aspx?ReleaseID=422477&NewsAreaID=2

Fri, 23/12/2011 - 12:39pm

#24

anonymous (not verified)

NHS on track to deliver savings to reinvest in care

Second report of financial year published

The official report on NHS performance shows the NHS is on track to deliver up to £5.9bn savings this financial year whilst maintaining or improving quality of services. Every penny saved will be reinvested in patient care.

The Quarter 2 report, published today, shows that of the eight key quality areas highlighted, all have been maintained or improved. In particular the NHS has reduced MRSA and C. difficile infection rates as well as driving down breach rates for mixed sex accommodation.

The report shows the NHS continued to perform strongly between July and September 2011 as it begins to deliver local plans to meet the pressures of an ageing population and the rising costs of drugs and treatments. The NHS needs to save up to £20 billion from within its budget by 2015 to meet these challenges.

Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) estimate they can achieve £5.9 billion savings this financial year – and so far have delivered £2.5 billion savings in the first six months of the efficiency challenge. This means the NHS is broadly on track to deliver the efficiency savings it needs – an improvement on the £4.3 billion of efficiency savings which the Audit Commission found that the NHS already achieved last year.

The local NHS has developed plans to improve quality that will gradually see more innovative care provided closer to home and more patients in control of their own care.

Examples where the NHS has improved services for patients and achieved efficiencies include:
• South East Essex Community Healthcare piloted a 24/7 home nursing service for children and young people with difficult to manage asthma. The initial findings suggest this has helped young people and their families to manage their condition without attending hospital, has reduced the number of A&E attendances by almost 50 per cent and hospital admissions by 30 per cent among the target group.
• Community teams in Kirklees developed individual care plans for frequent ambulance callers. These can be accessed by ambulance crews and emergency care clinicians. Community matrons worked with care home staff to help them deal with the individual’s underlying health problems – contributing to a reduction in 999 calls by care homes. Patients received better quality of care and there was a 70 per cent reduction in A&E attendances from this group.

The Quarter also highlights those trusts which are the poorest performers on waiting times – making clear they must improve. This is part of Health Secretary Andrew Lansley’s plans to root out poor performance by focusing on NHS organisations that are letting patients down.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

“I am committed to the NHS and to services for patients – one that is free at the point of use. That’s why there will be a £12.5 billion increase in funding over the next four years, including £4.1bn in 2011/12. But even with this, we know the NHS must be more efficient to meet the pressures of an ageing population and the rising costs of drugs and treatments.

“We know that despite the increase in funding, the NHS needs to save up to £20 billion from within its budget to meet these future challenges. Where the NHS can do things better and save money to reinvest in patient care, it must do so. We are already seeing the results – this report shows the NHS has achieved £2.5 billion savings so far while keeping waiting times low, performing more tests, and reducing infections even further.

“We are absolutely clear that this does not mean cutting services - this means getting better value for every pound spent in the NHS so that it can continue to improve and deliver better services for patients every day.”

Deputy Chief Executive of the NHS David Flory said:

“The NHS is in the early stages of its plans to deliver up to £20bn of efficiency savings by 2014/15 whilst maintaining or improving quality. The results from the second quarter of 2011/12 are encouraging, showing the NHS continues to deliver strongly for patients while maintaining a healthy financial position.
“But we know that the NHS faces unprecedented challenges with an ageing population and the rising costs of complex technology and medicines.
“The winter period represents an annual challenge and it is vital that the NHS plans and prepares for this so that it continues to provide high quality care, while ensuring we maintain strong financial control.”
Headlines from today’s report include:
• MRSA infections were 33 percent lower than during the same quarter last year and similarly C.difficile infections were 16 percent lower.
• Access to services continued to be maintained with the NHS delivering above the NHS constitutional commitment to treatment within 18 weeks of treatment for 90 percent of admitted patients and 95 percent of non admitted services.
• The number of breaches of mixed-sex sleeping accommodation also continued to decrease with a breach rate of 0.7 per 1,000 episodes.
• A&E standards and Ambulance response time standards were delivered.
• The NHS has continued to deliver against key cancer standards with all eight measures being met in quarter 2.

The report published today sets out NHS quality and financial performance between July and September 2011, showing that the NHS is predicting a year-end surplus of about £1.2 billion for 2011/12. For those individual NHS organisations in a weaker financial position, the report sends a strong message that this needs to improve.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

1. The Quarter report updates the NHS on progress towards key priorities, including financial health for July to September 2011 and can be found at : http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2011/12/the-quarter-quarter-2-201112/

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=422616&...

Tue, 27/12/2011 - 3:44pm

#25

anonymous (not verified)

The future of leadership and management in the NHS

Summary

At a time of enormous change in the NHS, leaders and managers have a crucial role to play. But what sort of leaders does the service need? Does the model, prevalent in public service over recent years, of the ‘hero’ chief executive still hold sway?

The King’s Fund set up a commission on leadership and management in the NHS with a brief to:

take a view on the current state of management and leadership in the NHS
establish the nature of management and leadership that will be required to meet the quality and financial challenges now facing the health care system
recommend what needs to be done to strengthen and develop management and leadership in the NHS.

The commission invited submissions from individuals and organisations with an interest in management and leadership and commissioned papers from experts. The future of leadership and management in the NHS: No more heroes reflects the conclusions of the commission’s work.

The conclusions challenge some of the negative attitudes towards managers, and questions current plans for major reductions in management and administration costs. The commission believes that the NHS needs to move beyond the outdated model of heroic leadership to recognise the value of leadership that is shared, distributed and adaptive. In the new model, leaders must focus on systems of care and not just institutions and on engaging staff in delivering results.

There is a clear message that the NHS will be able to rise to the financial and quality challenges it is faced with only if the contribution of managers is recognised and valued. It is also essential that the number of managers in the NHS, and expenditure on management, is based on a thorough assessment of the needs of the health service in the future rather than arbitrary targets and is supported by continuing investment in leadership development at all levels. In taking this approach, the commission emphasises the contribution of both general managers and clinical managers to leadership, the fact that leaders exist at all levels – from the board to the ward – and the increasing importance of leadership across systems of care as well as in individual organisations.

http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/nhs_leadership.html

Tue, 10/01/2012 - 2:08pm

#26

anonymous (not verified)

Government response to NHS Future Forum’s second report

Please note this documents is for print purposes only as it has not been tagged for accessibility

Download Full Government response to Future Forum second report (PDF, 387K)

Releted documents

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/Publicati...

Tue, 10/01/2012 - 2:24pm

#27

anonymous (not verified)

Government accepts latest report from the NHS Future Forum

The Government has accepted the latest recommendations from the independent NHS Future Forum, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced today.

As part of the Government’s pledge to carry on listening to NHS staff, patients and the public, the independent NHS Future Forum was asked in the summer to listen to views on education and training, information, integrated care, and public health.

The Government has now accepted the recommendations following the Future Forum’s report, and specifically on:

• The NHS’s role in the public’s health: Following the Forum’s recommendation on ‘every contact counts’, the Government will consult on a new responsibility for healthcare professionals to promote healthy living through their day–to-day contact with patients.

• Education and training: Employers and professionals will have a greater say in developing the health workforce in the future, such as through local plans. And, for the first time, the Government will introduce an outcomes framework for education and training.

• Integrated care The Government fully accepts the need to orientate the whole health system around patients. So for the first time, patient experience of integrated care will be measured as part of the Outcomes Framework.

• Information: The Government will consider the Forum’s recommendation for discharge summaries being made available to GPs and patients at the point of discharge, as part of the Information Strategy published later this year.

Andrew Lansley said:

"As we modernise the health and care system to meet the challenges of the future, it is essential the thoughts of clinicians and, importantly, patients, are listened to. So the NHS Future Forum has again provided invaluable feedback and advice on what the NHS needs to do to improve results and put the NHS truly on the side of patients. We are taking forward modernisation within the NHS in partnership with professional leaders from the service. I'm pleased to accept all their recommendations."

Chair of the independent NHS Future Forum Steve Field said:

“We are making robust and ambitious recommendations to the NHS and to Government. We have heard an enormous amount of support for the shift to patient centred care but also frustration that this has not yet been achieved. This must now become a reality for patients across England and health and social care professionals must lead the way”.

For this exercise, the independent NHS Future Forum listened to over 11,000 people face to face at over 300 events.

Notes to Editors:
1. The full Government response to the independent NHS Future Forum report can be found at www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/01/forum-response/
2. Liberating the NHS Developing the Healthcare Workforce – From Design to Delivery can be found at www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/01/workforce-response/
3. The independent NHS Future Forum report can be found at: http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/forum-report/
4. The independent Future Forum will continue to listen informally to views on the health and care system.
5. Patients and the public wishing to find out more about the Government's modernisation plans can visit www.dh.gov.uk/healthandcare

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=422778&...

Tue, 10/01/2012 - 2:25pm

#28

anonymous (not verified)

NHS Future Forum calls on healthcare professionals to make patie

NHS Future Forum calls on healthcare professionals to make patient centred care a reality

The NHS Future Forum has given its second set of reports to Health Secretary Andrew Lansley in which it sets out a series of recommendations to improve the quality of patient care and achieve better outcomes.

The Forum was chaired for the second time by Professor Steve Field who expanded and refreshed the membership to meet the challenge of looking at four areas of health policy: the NHS’s role in the public’s health, information, education and training and integration.

Over four months the Forum listened to more than 12,000 people and attended more than 300 events. In this phase, the Forum set out to listen to more patients and carers and sought more input from local authorities, housing and social care providers.

Professor Field said “we are making robust and ambitious recommendations to the NHS and to Government. We have heard an enormous amount of support for the shift to patient centred care but also frustration that this has not yet been achieved. This must now become a reality for patients across England and health and social care professionals must lead the way”.

Highlights from the four reports are:

Integration

• Integration should be defined around the patient, not the system – outcomes, incentives and system rules (ie. competition and choice) need to be aligned accordingly

• Health and wellbeing boards should drive local integration - through a whole-population, strategic approach that addresses their local priorities

• Local commissioners and providers should be given freedom and flexibility to "get on and do" – through flexing payment flows and enabling planning over a longer term

Education and training

• The new local education and training boards must have the governance in place to deliver strong partnerships across healthcare providers, academia and education.

• Quality must be at the heart of education and training with systems in place at all levels to reward high quality education and embed continuing professional development.

• There needs to be a review of the principles and aims of the Tooke Report into medical education.

• A properly structured process to support individual nurse and midwife development in post-qualification career pathways should be developed nationally.

Information

• Patients should have access to their online GP held records by the end of this Parliament

• The NHS must move to using its IT systems to share data about individual patients and service users electronically in the interests of high quality care.

• The Government should set a clear deadline within the current Parliament
by which all information about clinical outcomes is put in the public domain.

NHS’s role in the public’s health

• The NHS must do more to prevent poor health, so it can reduce health inequalities and continue to provide high quality care for future generations.

• Every healthcare professional should make every contact count – use every contact with the public to help them improve their health. This should be a core staff responsibility in the NHS Constitution.

• The NHS must do more to support the wellbeing of its own staff too, helping a workforce of 1.4 million to live healthily and spread healthy messages with family, friends and patients.

The Future Forum’s phase two report can be seen at http://healthandcare.dh.gov.uk/forum-report/

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=422776&...

Wed, 18/01/2012 - 10:51am

#29

anonymous (not verified)

NHS to get £100m cash injection to improve services

Patients across the country will benefit as the NHS receives a cash injection of up to £100 million to boost services in their communities, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced today.

The Department of Health is providing up to £100 million in additional funding to doctors in emerging Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) to improve local services and reduce pressures on the NHS during the colder months.

Clinicians in these groups will spend the money directly on local care services that best meet their patients’ clinical needs and prevent unnecessary admissions to hospital. For example, prospective Clinical Commissioning Groups could use the funding to:
• provide more effective cover for urgent care services
• improve out of hours services for patients
• improve local arrangements with nursing homes
• extend GP practice opening times

This is the first time these prospective clinical groups have been given money to spend on patient services. They will have £2 per head of population made available to them via their Primary Care Trust (PCT) cluster to spend this financial year.

Health Secretary Andrew Lansley said:

“I am pleased to be able to give the NHS up to £100 million in extra funding to spend directly on local frontline care for their patients during the winter months.”

“This is the first time emerging Clinical Commissioning Groups – made up of GPs and other local clinical professionals – have been given money to spend on services for patients. This additional funding, available due to good management of the Department’s central budgets, will harness the expertise of local clinicians who know better than anyone, what their patients need.”

“Moving decision-making closer to patients will mean ‘no decision about me without me’ and ensures that patients receive the right care according to their individual needs. This more effective and efficient way of working will see savings reinvested in front line NHS care.”

Many prospective Clinical Commissioning Groups are ready to take responsibility for investments of this kind and will be supported by their local Primary Care Trust cluster, who will sign off their plans. The funding must be used to improve patient services – it cannot be spent on running costs.

The funding will enable prospective CCGs to implement measures which support their longer term plans to improve services for patients.

CEO of North East Essex CCG, Dr. Shane Gordon said:

"This funding will ensure that the quality and speed of health services in our area is maintained during the winter. As a local GP, I work with patients and colleagues in our Clinical Commissioning Group; together we plan our health services to deliver the best possible care to our population. The extra funds are a welcome boost during a demanding part of the year".

This is the first time that the Department has specifically identified funding for PCTs to delegate to prospective CCGs for patient care, although individual PCTs have been delegating elements of their commissioning funds to emerging CCGs and Pathfinders during 2011/12 as part of their development. In the first half of 2011-12, about £29 billion had been delegated to CCGs to spend on providing services for patients.

Notes to editors

1. For further information, contact the Department of Health Press Office on 020 7210 5221.

2. PCT clusters will be required to inform their SHA cluster by the end of February 2012, how their share of the frontline commissioning funding has been utilised.

3. Any funding which will not be utilised must be returned to the Department by the middle of February to spend on patient care elsewhere in the NHS.

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=422854&...

Post new comment

Your name:

E-mail:

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.

Homepage:

Subject:

Comment: *

Input format

Filtered HTML

Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
Allowed HTML tags: <a> <p> <span> <div> <h1> <h2> <h3> <h4> <h5> <h6> <img> <map> <area> <hr> <br> <br /> <ul> <ol> <li> <dl> <dt> <dd> <table> <tr> <td> <em><b> <u> <i> <strong> <font> <del> <ins> <sub> <sup> <quote> <blockquote><pre> <address> <code> <cite> <embed> <object> <strike> <caption>
Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Glossary terms will be automatically marked with links to their descriptions. If there are certain phrases or sections of text that should be excluded from glossary marking and linking, use the special markup, [no-glossary] ... [/no-glossary]. Additionally, these HTML elements will not be scanned: a, acronym,, code, div, h1,, h2,, h3,, h4,, h5,, h6,, li,, pre, span,, ul,.

Full HTML

Web page addresses and e-mail addresses turn into links automatically.
Lines and paragraphs break automatically.
Glossary terms will be automatically marked with links to their descriptions. If there are certain phrases or sections of text that should be excluded from glossary marking and linking, use the special markup, [no-glossary] ... [/no-glossary]. Additionally, these HTML elements will not be scanned: a, acronym,, code, div, h1,, h2,, h3,, h4,, h5,, h6,, li,, pre, span,, ul,.
You may post PHP code. You should include <?php ?> tags.

More information about formatting options

CAPTCHA

This question is for testing whether you are a human visitor and to prevent automated spam submissions.

Safeguarding the NHS for the future

Notes to editors

Witnesses

Further Information

Recommittal of the Health and Social Care Bill, now have your say

Background

Have your say

Guidance on submitting written evidence

Deadline for submissions

Summary of the Bill

Government response to the NHS Future Forum report: Briefing notes on amendments to the Health and Social Care Bill

View the Bill and track its passage through Parliament

Health and Social Care Bill 2011 – what does it do?

Government response to the NHS Future Forum report: briefing notes on amendments to the Bill

Linked publications

Other publications

Impact assessments

Delegated Powers Memorandum

Additional links

Also on this site:

Health and care reform (opens new window)

Summary

The new-look Health and Social Care Bill: What are the next steps for clinical commissioning groups?

Notes to editors

A modern NHS - putting patients and health professionals in the driving seat

Notes to editors

Summary Care Record to benefit millions of patients with long term conditions, say patient groups

Notes to editors

Notes to editors

New hospital mortality indicator to improve measurement of patient safety

The House of Lords are currently debating the controversial Health and Social Care Bill, which we believe strikes at the founding principles of the NHS as a genuinely public service.

If you have concerns about the Bill too, the Peers need to hear from you.

About the Equality Delivery System

Key EDS documents

Who it covers

What it delivers

Implementation of EDS

Our work programme

Summary

Releted documents

NHS Future Forum calls on healthcare professionals to make patient centred care a reality

Post new comment

Our Campaign's

User login

HELP US DO MORE

Vocabularies

RSS News Feed

New forum topics

Recent comments

Who's online