Guidance aims to improve procurement across healthcare system

Guidance aims to improve procurement across healthcare system:
Guidance aimed at improving procurement across the healthcare system has been published by the Department of Health.
‘NHS procurement: raising our game’ sets out proposed actions for NHS trusts and the Department and focuses on taking immediate action to start tackling six key areas for improvements:

• levers for change
• transparency and data management
• NHS standards of procurement
• leadership, clinical engagement and reducing variation
• collaboration and use of procurement partners
• suppliers, innovation and growth

Read NHS Procurement: raising our game
This guidance is launched in advance of a procurement strategy planned for later in 2012 that will be developed following a wider call for evidence. It aims to start the journey to world class procurement by identifying those issues and actions that require immediate attention in order to lay the foundations for a fuller and further-reaching strategy later in the year.
In support, we are also publishing NHS Standards of Procurement, which will support trusts in understanding what good procurement looks like and in planning their improvements at a local level.
The standards can be used to identify what a trust’s areas of strengths and weakness are in their procurement and suggest ways in which they can start to monitor and measure improvements.
Read NHS Standards of Procurement

Homeless Link and St Mungo’s publish report on hospitals and the homeless

Homeless Link and St Mungo’s publish report on hospitals and the homeless:
Homeless Link and St Mungo’s have published a report, commissioned by the Department of Health, on how homeless people are treated by hospitals.
The report was produced to inform the National Inclusion Health Board and delivers the Ministerial Working Group on Homelessness commitment to identify what more must be done to prevent people at risk of rough sleeping being discharged from hospital without accommodation.
The report indicates that more than 70% of homeless people are being discharged from hospital back onto the streets, damaging their health. But it also cites examples of best practice. It found that NHS staff can improve health outcomes for homeless people and save the NHS money by ensuring all patients have somewhere appropriate to stay when they are discharged from hospital.
Minister of State for Care Services Paul Burstow acknowledged these findings during a visit to the Pathway homeless team at University College Hospital (UCH) in London today. The dedicated homelessness team at UCH were named as an example of best practice in the report. Paul Burstow said:
‘We commissioned this report to expose poor practice and share best practice. What it reveals is too many hospitals simply discharging homeless people back to the streets. Patching a person up and sending them out without a plan makes no sense.
‘The good news is the report shows that there are hospitals doing brilliant work to join up care and support and reduce the cycle of revolving door admissions. I am challenging the rest of the NHS to learn from the best and make it the norm.’ Department of Health
Find out more about the report on the Homeless Link website.

Improving hospital admission and discharge: for people who are homeless

Improving hospital admission and discharge: for people who are homeless:
This report indicates that more than 70% of homeless people are being discharged from hospital back onto the streets, damaging their health and costing the NHS money. It found that NHS staff can improve health outcomes for homeless people and save the NHS money by ensuring all patients have somewhere appropriate to stay when they are discharged from hospital.

• Report
• Homeless Link - news

Minimum standards for healthcare support workers and adult social care workers in England

Minimum standards for healthcare support workers and adult social care workers in England:
Skills for Health and Skills for Care have been commissioned by the Department of Health to jointly convene a project to develop a code of conduct and standards which set out high-level proficiencies for the role and expectations around: healthcare support workers (reporting to registered nurses and midwives); and adult social care workers (working in support of health and social care professionals, independently, for Care Quality Commission registered residential care providers, or as domiciliary care workers in England). The on-line consultation is live between 25th May and 29th June 2012.

• Consultation documents
• Skills for Health - consultations

Helping hospitals deliver better care: a new toolkit for quality improvement

Helping hospitals deliver better care: a new toolkit for quality improvement:
A team from RAND and the University HealthSystem Consortium developed a toolkit to help hospitals enhance their quality improvement efforts using quality indicators from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

• Briefing
• RAND Corporation - publications

Creating a culture of innovation: final report of the Creating a Culture of Innovation project

Creating a culture of innovation: final report of the Creating a Culture of Innovation project:
This report provides an overview and analysis of activities and insights that have been gathered over the course of the Creating a Culture of Innovation project and a review of literature on encouraging creativity within organisations. The project initially focused on two aims: to introduce individuals to using creativity tools in a project setting, and for individuals to design a process for ideas within their own organisations. It supports individuals to think creatively, strategically and with insight to develop successful and innovative services and support that deliver tangible benefits for people who use services.

• Report
• IRISS - publications

Tool to help GPs quickly assess child growth

Tool to help GPs quickly assess child growth:
The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health has produced a range of tools to help GPs and colleagues to quickly and simply assess the growth of school-age children.
The aims of the growth charts, training notes and resources is also to help avoid intimate examinations of children to determine premature or delayed puberty. The tools simplify use of BMI for healthcare professionals to be able to assess whethe... Healthcare Today

Male psychiatric patients 'more likely to die' following cancer diagnosis - Netdoctor

Male psychiatric patients 'more likely to die' following cancer diagnosis - Netdoctor:

Male psychiatric patients 'more likely to die' following cancer diagnosis Netdoctor Men who have psychiatric problems are more likely to die after receiving a diagnosis of cancer than men without mental health problems, a study has found. Researchers at University College London, alongside colleagues at the University of Southampton ... Early cancer diagnosis is vital for male psychiatric patientsPrivate Healthcare UK all 2 news articles »

Social care funding gap in England 'can be plugged' - BBC News

Social care funding gap in England 'can be plugged' - BBC News:

BBC News

Social care funding gap in England 'can be plugged' BBC News By Nick Triggle Health correspondent, BBC News The funding gap for reforming social care in England could be plugged by raiding the NHS surplus or restricting access to benefits such as the winter fuel allowance, experts say.

Dentists forcing 500,000 NHS patients to pay privately: report

Dentists forcing 500,000 NHS patients to pay privately: report: Dentists are forcing 500,000 patients a year to pay for expensive private treatments by failing to tell them they are available on the NHS, according to an investigation by the Office of Fair Trading. The Daily Telegraph