Pilot Gritting Scheme launched to prevent Falls - AboutMyArea

Pilot Gritting Scheme launched to prevent Falls - AboutMyArea:

Pilot Gritting Scheme launched to prevent Falls AboutMyArea The project is a joint initiative between Northamptonshire County Council and NHS Northamptonshire, working with Northamptonshire Probation Trust, which is supporting the community-based initiative. The project will see some sites receive gritting when ...

NHS performance

NHS performance: The King's Fund has published its latest analysis of NHS performance results which indicates that while the NHS is generally coping, national statistics mask significant pressures in some local areas. 'How is the NHS performing?' is the fourth quarterly monitoring report which aims to provide a real-time update on how the NHS is coping as it tackles the evolving reform agenda while grappling with the challenges of making improvements in productivity. The report combines publicly available data on selected NHS performance measures with views from a panel of finance directors on key issues their organisations are facing. CASH Full News Feed

Report:
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/nhs_performance_jan.html

Bowel cancer awareness: national campaign

Bowel cancer awareness: national campaign: The Government's first national cancer campaign to raise awareness of the symptoms of bowel cancer will be launched today by Care Services Minister Paul Burstow. Featuring GPs, the 'Be Clear on Cancer' bowel cancer campaign will encourage people who have had blood in their poo or loose poo for more than three weeks to see their doctor. The new adverts aim to make people aware of the symptoms of bowel cancer and make it easier for them to discuss this with their GP. CASH Full News Feed

2013/14 COF consultation opens

2013/14 COF consultation opens: NICE has today launched its first consultation on potential indicators for the proposed 2013/14 Commissioning Outcomes Framework (COF). Anyone with an interest in health is invited to comment on the 120 indicators, which cover a broad range of topics, including mental health, cancer and asthma. NICE

Watchdog starts inquiry into hip replacements

Watchdog starts inquiry into hip replacements: Concerns grow that metal-on-metal implants could destroy muscle and bone and cause 'systemic toxicity'Regulators have begun an inquiry into metal hip replacements amid fears that thousands of British patients are at risk of being poisoned.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said it had taken "prompt action" over the concerns, but added that most people were at low risk of developing serious problems.The action comes as an investigation by the Sunday Telegraph found more ...Kings Fund Health News

Cold weather plan: Level 3 alert issued

Cold weather plan: Level 3 alert issued: Source: Department of Health (DH)

Area: News

Further to the level alert 2 issued on 27 January, the levels across England have now risen to Level 3.

The Met Office has forecast severe cold weather between 1000 on Monday and 1000 on Friday in parts of England (see link below for further regional forecasts). This weather could increase the health risks to vulnerable patients and disrupt the delivery of services therefore health and social care providers are requested to refer to the Department of Health Cold weather plan for England.

Care clusters and mental health Payment by Results - British Journal of Psychiatry

Care clusters and mental health Payment by Results - British Journal of Psychiatry:

Care clusters and mental health Payment by Results British Journal of Psychiatry MacDonald & Elphick 1 have lucidly described the proposed introduction of Payment by Results into mental health. They mention, however, that 'concerns include the validity and reliability of the MHCT' (mental health clustering tool), and there is also ...

Funding plan for NHS Commissioning Board published

Funding plan for NHS Commissioning Board published:

A 50% reduction in funding has raised question about how well the NCB will be able to function

A report setting out how much funding the NHS Commissioning Board is to receive and the risks it faces has been published.

The document, issued by the NHS Commissioning Board Authority, the precursor to the final NCB, says the running costs of the organisation in 2014-15 will be £492m – a 50% reduction in previous funding.

In the outline of how the NCB will work, which includes details on the organisational structure and workforce numbers, the document acknowledges the risk in the "delivery of functions with 50% less resources".

However, the report states there will be a one-off extra fund to aid transition in 2013-14 – the board's first full year of operation.

Other anticipated risks include differences with the Department of Health (DH) over what is included in the £492m figure, pressure to take on extra functions without funding and whether resources and business processes will be in place by 2014-15.

While the cost of commissioning public health services on behalf of Public Health England, a department within the DH, will be funded separately, there will be funding for a new leadership academy.

The report says work is still continuing with the DH to "identify the full costs associated with delivering information standards, governance, national IT applications, infrastructure and services".

The board emphasises a move to local areas across four commissioning areas. These will be based on areas now covered by current Strategic Health Authority clusters but will be "significantly smaller and will not operate as separate entities in their own right," the report says.

The overall workforce will number 3,500 full-time equivalent staff, including 2,500 across 50 local offices, which will each hold around 50 staff. "To carry out its key functions of direct commissioning, supporting and assuring CCGs and managing relationships with local stakeholders, the board will have to deploy the majority of its staff at sub-national level," the authority says.

Some local offices will run services on behalf of others and so workforce size and funding will vary. Areas which could be taken over by local offices could include:

• Specialised and primary care commissioning.

• Military and offender health.

• Support for clinical networks.

• Family health services.

The authority says that quality, clinical leadership, patient and public voice, promoting equality and reducing health inequalities would be "hard-wired" into the new organisation and one of the board's key direct commissioning responsibilities will be for specialised services, which are currently commissioned at national or regional level.

Responsibility for these will lie across a number of directorates, including medical, nursing, commissioning and operations, with the latter responsible for the assurance and assessment of CCGs, the NHS constitution and "information flows to allow public and parliamentary accountability".

The NCB will be based primarily in Leeds but there will be opportunities for flexible working and working within a number of local offices, yet to be determined, and other teams. Guardian Healthcare Network

Letter: Fragmenting the NHS

Letter: Fragmenting the NHS: SIR - The Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) leaders who support the Health and Social Care Bill (Letters, January 28) do not represent the majority of GPs, who believe that the Bill will seriously damage patient care. More than 90 per cent of GPs polled by the Royal College of General Practitioners said that the Bill should be withdrawn. Telegraph

Half of doctors at risk of burnout: research

Half of doctors at risk of burnout: research: Half of doctors feel cynical and negative about their patients and are emotionally exhausted, a study has suggested. Telegraph

Hopes rise for development of universal flu vaccine

Hopes rise for development of universal flu vaccine:

Newly discovered flu molecules shared by most strains of the virus could help scientists develop a "universal vaccine", it was claimed today. Independent