Friday 22 June 2012

GP Ratings app launched

GP Ratings app launched:
Patients can now use a new iPhone app to pick which GP surgery to register with.
Called ‘GP Ratings’, it has been developed by FineFettleApps.com and provides information on all 8,344 GP surgeries in England by using data from the 11 million responses the Department of Health’s national GP Patient Survey which was undertaken last year. It uses star ratings to enable people to find their 10 closest...
Healthcare Today

NHS patient feedback challenge expert panel announced

NHS patient feedback challenge expert panel announced:
The "challenge" is a one year programme to identify how feedback from patients can be used to improve services. It is an opportunity to share, spread and implement the measurement and improvement of patient experience across the NHS.  The NHS patient feedback challenge is backed by a £1m fund. NHS Networks

NHS Commissioning Board local area teams and clinical senates

NHS Commissioning Board local area teams and clinical senates:
NHS Commissioning Board Authority Chief Operating Officer Ian Dalton and Medical Director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh have shared the outcome of the work to agree the geographies that the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) local area teams will serve, as well as the outcome of related work to confirm the number, and coverage, of clinical senates.
The letter, and the accompanying briefing pack which sets out the geographical boundaries, is available below.
Letter from Ian Dalton and Sir Bruce Keogh
NHS CB Local Area Teams and Clinical Senates Briefing Pack



More NHS action 'not ruled out'

More NHS action 'not ruled out': More days of industrial action are not being ruled out by doctors' leaders as they ponder their next move in the battle over pensions. BBC News - Health

Health checks for carers in QOF from 2014/15

Health checks for carers in QOF from 2014/15: Annual health checks for carers could be added to the QOF from 2014/15 after provisional targets were approved by a NICE expert panel. Kings Fund Health News

SIGN publishes guidance on its discharge document

SIGN publishes guidance on its discharge document: Source: SIGN

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) has published guidance on 'The SIGN Discharge Document' - presenting a template for a single discharge document that can be used as both the Immediate Discharge Document (IDD; sent to the GP on the day of discharge) and as the final discharge summary/ letter (in its extended format) for more complex cases. It is of relevance to all hospital medical and nursing staff,  allied health professionals, general practitioners, community nurses, pharmacists, out-of-hours services, and patients their carers and relatives.
 
This document replaces SIGN 65 and reflects a number of developments, including advances that have been made with regard to the production, use and transmission of electronic documents within NHS Scotland, changes in terminology, and the importance of medicines reconciliation. The essential components of a discharge document however remain largely unchanged...

Quality care for older people with urgent and emergency care needs ('The Silver Book')

Quality care for older people with urgent and emergency care needs ('The Silver Book'):
The focus of this guide is on care for older people over the first 24 hours of an urgent care episode, with the specific remit to help decrease variations in practice; influence the development of appropriate services across the urgent care system; identify and disseminate best practice; and influence policy development.
NHS Evidence - Health Management

Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs)

Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs):
The Department of Health are seeking expressions of interest to create an AHSNs. The goal of AHSN’s will be to improve patient and population health outcomes by translating research into practice and developing and implementing integrated health care systems. The document sets out the draft designation and establishment process. It is aimed at the NHS, care trust, special health authorities, and local authority chief executives, medical, nursing, finance and public health directors,  NHS chairs, university deans of medical schools, schools of nursing and midwifery and allied health professionals.
NHS Evidence - Health Management

Hospitals aim to save £2.35bn

Hospitals aim to save £2.35bn:

New figures have revealed that hospital trusts are planning to take £2.35bn out of their cost base during the current financial year.
An investigation by HSJ looked at figures from 133 acute non-specialist trusts, which revealed that the average cost improvement programme (CIP) target across the sector is 5.3% of turnover in 2012/13.
Almost half were trying to make savings from reducing their pay budget. Healthcare Today

Doctors' strike: just 8 per cent take action

Doctors' strike: just 8 per cent take action: Just eight per cent of doctors working in the NHS took part in industrial action today, Government figures suggest. Telegraph Health News

One in ten patients hit by doctors' action, Department of Health claim

One in ten patients hit by doctors' action, Department of Health claim:
One in 10 patients have had their operations, outpatient appointments or treatments rescheduled due to the British Medical Association's (BMA) industrial action, figures suggest. Independent

New report calls for improvements to patient transfer information

New report calls for improvements to patient transfer information: The report of the Keeping Patients Safe When They Transfer Between Care Providers: Getting the Medicines Right project has been published. Royal Collecge of Nursing

Winter flu season at all time low

Winter flu season at all time low: Overall GP consultation rates for influenza-like illness in England and Wales indicate that the 2011/2012 flu season was the lowest on record* according to the Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) annual flu report published 21 June 2012. Health Protection Agency