Quality and safety news - 21 March 2013

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News highlights are:

Care Inspectorate and Scottish Social Services Council procurement strategy 2013-2016. A full review of the existing strategy has been carried out to ensure our procurement processes reflect the current procurement regulations and legislation. The purpose of this consultation is to consider if the proposed strategy has any impact on equality groups such as age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation. Closing date for completion of the consultation survey is 5 April 2013.

Civitas: Voters back private care on NHS – ICM poll. "The vast majority of British people are open to greater private sector involvement in the provision of NHS services". An ICM poll shows that 83 per cent of voters "are not concerned who provides services as long as they are free to all at the point of need".

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety: Bamford Action Plan 2012-2015. The Northern Ireland Executive has endorsed the 76 actions within the follow-on 2012-2015 Action Plan which are to be delivered by March 2015. It is informed by lessons learnt from the evaluation of the previous plan, consultative workshops, new research and evidence based practice and the views of service users and their carers. The plan progresses the key Bamford themes of health promotion; promoting independence and personalisation; supporting carers and families; modernisation and improvement of services; and developing robust structures and a legislative framework.
News: We remain committed to Bamford principles, Poots tells Assembly.

DHSSPS: Update on Transforming Your Care. Health Minister Edwin Poots made a detailed statement to the Northern Ireland Assembly on the outcome of the consultation exercise on Transforming Your Care: vision to action.

DHSSPS: Breakthrough cystic fibrosis (CF) drug made available. The drug Ivacaftor (also known Kalydeco), will be made available where appropriate, to patients who have the G551D genetic mutation also known as the ‘Celtic Gene’, which is particularly common in Ireland. “The drug Ivacaftor is a significant breakthrough, not only for those with the ‘Celtic Gene’, but also for all other CF sufferers, as it indicates that the basic defect in CF can be treated. This is the first drug aimed at the basic defect in CF to show an effect”.

DH: ‘Making a Difference to Dementia’ nursing vision and strategy launched. The Department of Health has launched a new nursing vision and strategy for dementia care at the Healthcare Innovation Expo. It makes clear that every nurse can make a difference to the care of people with dementia. The vision demonstrates the 6 Cs for dementia care by including nursing values and behaviours. It builds on ‘Compassion in Practice’, the national vision for nurses, midwives and care staff. The vision "recognises the unique and specialist contribution of all nurses and their teams who are involved in the care of someone with dementia at different stages along their care pathway". 

DH: England to host international initiative for mental health leadership in 2014. Norman Lamb, Minister of State for Care Services, has accepted an invitation for England to host the 2014 exchange which will help the NHS, local government and partners to speed up improvements to services, and support and improve mental health services by learning from experts from across the world. It will also provide an opportunity to showcase some of the innovative work in England on mental health, through programmes Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) and Time to Change.  

DH: New salt strategy to drive further progress to cut salt. The Public Health Responsibility Deal's food network has published its new salt strategy, which sets out the direction of travel to make further progress in reducing salt in the nation’s diet.  
NICE: Salt reduction strategy could prevent thousands of deaths from CVD, says NICE.

Guardian: NHS is 'not ready' for changes, say senior staff. "More than three-quarters of senior NHS staff fear the health service is not ready for the major reorganisation that comes into force in less than two weeks. That is a key finding of a survey of NHS professionals, in both clinical and management roles, who belong to the Guardian's healthcare network".

House of Commons Health Committee: Public expenditure on health and care services. This report examines the reported achievements of the Nicholson Challenge in its first full year of operation and sets out findings in respect of the efficiency gains being made and the progress in integration of health and social care systems. "The Committee renews its criticism of the Government's approach to meeting the Nicholson Challenge of efficiency gains, considering that it is not sufficiently focused on achieving the transformational change required". It recommends that the Government introduce a ring fence to protect the current level of real-terms funding available to social care: "this should promote integration of health and care systems by supporting a flexible and responsible health and care economy properly responsive to local priorities rather than a system in which separate funding streams and differing objectives must always be negotiated".

House of Lords, House of Commons: Joint Committee on the Draft Care and Support Bill. "The draft Bill represents a major reform of the legal framework governing the provision of adult care and support in England. It goes further than just a consolidation by establishing in law, for the first time, that well-being is the guiding principle of decision-making in care and support. It significantly extends the rights of adult carers, and it places greater emphasis on prevention". The introduction of a capped cost system will lead to a large influx of people with needs into the local authority assessment system. This will provide an opportunity for offering information, advice and assistance that can prevent and postpone the onset of greater care needs.
RCN: RCN comments on draft Care and Support Bill. Dr Peter Carter, RCN Chief Executive & General Secretary, has described the bill as a “long overdue step in the right direction”. He said: “We are pleased to see the committee has picked up on a number of areas of concern which the RCN highlighted in our submission, including the importance of properly integrating services, long-term workforce planning and adequate care home provision.
BBC: Care costs cap ‘will cause disputes’. Introducing a cap on elderly care costs could leave councils open to a "deluge of disputes and legal challenges", MPs and peers are warning".

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE): NICE Implementation Collaborative. A unique partnership of organisations has begun work on identifying barriers to the implementation of NICE guidance, to ensure that patients get quick and more consistent access to the treatments they need. The NICE Implementation Collaborative (NIC) is a partnership between the NHS, the life sciences industry, healthcare professional bodies, key health organisations and the public, who have committed to work with each other and other organisations to understand and analyse the barriers that exist to the implementation of NICE recommendations. Initially using examples from four key areas: osteoporosis, stroke, diabetes and heart disease, the partners will work with one another and with other organisations and parts of the system to better understand the implementation landscape.
NIC concordat March 2012.

NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB): GP-led groups ready to take charge of NHS budgets in every community in England. The new clinical commissioning system is set up across England and all 211 new organisations are ready to take up their statutory responsibilities on behalf of local communities. 

NHS CB: Practising doctors to advise NHS on distinct areas of patient care. Medical Director Professor Sir Bruce Keogh today has announced the names of 21 National Clinical Directors (NCDs) appointed to provide expert advice and research to the national medical directorate on conditions and services ranging from obesity and diabetes to emergency preparedness and critical care. 

Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Three Directors appointed at the Nursing and Midwifery Council. The Director of Fitness to Practise, Director of Continued Practice and Director of Registration have been appointed.

Primary Care Commissioning (PCC) and Capsticks: What keeps CCGs awake at nights? Primary Care Commissioning and Capsticks have teamed up to take a sounding of clinical commissioning groups as they prepare to take control of the major part of the NHS commissioning budget on 1 April. The purpose of the survey is to identify the issues still troubling boards and areas where they feel the greatest need for support. The survey is primarily for CCG accountable officers and chairs but views are welcomed from other members of CCG boards. A full report of the results will be shared with participants later this month.

RCN: RCN urges government to continue its commitment to minimum pricing. The Royal College of Nursing has urged the Government to stand firm in its commitment to introduce a minimum unit price for alcohol in England and Wales. The RCN points to evidence which shows that incidences of liver disease, one of the biggest killers in the UK, are increasing.
Guardian: Minimum alcohol price still in the balance. Prime minister tells Commons he wants to curb amount of cheap booze but will not explicitly promise unit price change.

Welsh Government: Action to improve safety, dignity and quality of care. New moves to ensure safe, dignified care for patients and drive up quality standards have been announced by Health Minister Lesley Griffiths. Initial actions include plans to introduce a new assessment process to determine the right staffing levels on wards based on the severity of patients’ conditions rather than simply patient numbers; a review of the healthcare inspection system; reviewing existing targets to ensure they measure quality, outcomes and experience as well as performance.

Welsh Government: Welsh A&E departments under increased pressure. Welsh A&E departments have seen a significant rise in the number of patients in the last week (week prior to 13 March), prompting the Health Minister, Lesley Griffiths, to urge everyone to Choose Well. 

Welsh Government: Together for Health: A National Oral Health Plan for Wales 2013-18. The Chief Dental Officer has announced a five-year plan to improve oral health and reduce inequalities in Wales.

Welsh Government: New health minister starts work. Mark Drakeford AM has been sworn in as Minister for Health and Social Services and has begun looking at the wide range of issues in his portfolio, including NHS reconfiguration, the legislative programme, and the financial position of the NHS in Wales.