Quality and safety news - 24 January 2013
Some of the resources linked to are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.
New highlights are:
Alzheimer’s Society: Dramatic variation in dementia diagnosis across UK. New figures released by Alzheimer’s Society reveal wide variations in how many people are receiving a diagnosis of dementia in Britain. There has been a 3 per cent increase in the number of people in the UK that have been diagnosed with dementia raising the number of people who now have a formal diagnosis to 46 per cent. However, there are thought to be another 428,000 in the UK (54 per cent people) who are living with the condition but who are not diagnosed.
Dementia prevalence and diagnosis rates. This map highlights the numbers of people who have a diagnosis of dementia in different Primary Care Trusts in the UK.
DH: Alzheimer’s Society publishes data on dementia diagnosis rates.
Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS): Northern Ireland leads way in diagnosing dementia.
BBC: Uneven dementia care ‘disgraceful’.
BBC Health: Why bed sores matter more than reforms. The BBC News website features an article about figures obtained by the BBC Inside Out programme which show that a large proportion of serious untoward incidents in hospitals are caused by pressure sores, despite such sores often being preventable. The article contains a quote by the RCN’s Head of Nursing Department Steve Jamieson, who told the Inside Out West Midlands: "If we think of the complex needs of some of these patients we may need two or in fact three nurses to deliver appropriate care to one patient...So I think there is something about making sure the staffing ratio is right in areas where people have got complex needs."
Chief Nursing Officer Bulletin January 2013. Includes items on: the NHS Leadership Recognition Awards 2012; the new vision for district nursing; Right people, right place, right time; Becoming a Care Maker.
DH: Date confirmed for receipt and publication of the Mid Staffs Public Inquiry report. The Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry has confirmed that Robert Francis QC will deliver his final report to the Secretary of State for Health on Tuesday 5 February 2013, and publish it on Wednesday 6 February 2013 with the report being laid before Parliament on the same day.
DH: Quality in the new health system – maintaining and improving quality from April 2013. The National Quality Board (NQB) has published a final report setting out how quality will be maintained and improved in the new health system. This report focuses predominantly on how the new system should prevent, identify and respond to serious failures in quality.
DH: New Director General for Social Care, Local Government and Care Partnerships announced. Jon Rouse, currently Chief Executive of the London Borough of Croydon, has been confirmed as the new Director General and will take up his post in March 2013.
DH: £5.45 billion budget for local public health services announced. A £5.45 billion two-year ring-fenced public health budget for local authorities has been announced. From April 2013, public health budgets will be protected for the first time, with local authorities taking the lead for improving the health of their local communities.
DHSSPS: Unfolding Arts in Health 2013 - 2015. The strategy, developed by the Belfast Trust and Arts Care, is strongly aligned to the strategic objectives of Transforming Your Care in its support for the care of patients and in enhancing community wellbeing through prevention and health promotion, through access to the arts. Arts in Health are arts based activities that aim to improve individual and community well-being, enhance the health care environment and contribute to the quality of healthcare delivery across all services and facilities.
Guardian: NHS maternity units to share £25m fund to improve childbirth experience. More than 100 hospitals in England will share money to modernise maternity units in midst of ongoing baby boom.
Royal College of Midwives (RCM): £25m of maternity funding allocated.
NHS Commissioning Board: Sir Bruce Keogh to lead review of urgent and emergency services in England. The NHS Commissioning Board has announced that it is to review the model of urgent and emergency services in England. The review, led by Medical Director Sir Bruce Keogh, will set out proposals for the best way of organising care to meet the needs of patients. The review team will work with clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to develop a national framework offer to help them ensure high-quality, consistent standards of care across the country.
RCN: RCN welcomes review of emergency services in England. The Royal College of Nursing has welcomed moves to simplify the system of urgent and emergency care in England. The RCN supports the move to provide more care at home and away from hospitals, but has warned there needs to be a sustained investment in community services.
NHS Commissioning Board: Specialised service specs and clinical policy added to commissioning board consultation. The NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) has added seven new draft service specifications and a further clinical policy for specialised commissioning to its consultation. The consultation period for these new additions will run from 11 January to 22 February 2013.
NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (NHS Institute): NHS Institute to close on 31 March 2013. On 1 April 2013 a ‘new Improvement Body’ will be and will be hosted by the NHS Commissioning Board. When the NHS Institute closes the majority of our programmes will finish on this date, though some are likely to continue within the new Improvement Body. Work is currently being undertaken to determine the priorities for the new Improvement Body which will support both the Outcomes Framework and the work of the NHS Commissioning Board’s Five Domains. It is not known yet whether access to the NHS Institute website and the information and materials on it will be available after 31 March 2013. To this end the NHS Institute invites users to access the materials they require. This will includes downloading materials and ordering hard copy publications from the catalogue.
NSPCC: Giving victims a voice. Joint report into sexual allegations made against Jimmy Savile (2.4MB). Adults and children, including a boy of eight, were abused by Jimmy Savile, a report detailing allegations over 50 years has revealed. Police and the NSPCC outlined offences by the late presenter at venues including 13 hospitals and a hospice.
RCN: Medicines legislation to be updated in England. RCN members are being advised to be aware of amended medicines legislation due to be introduced in England.The new legislation will enable enable clinical commissioning groups and local authorities to authorise patient group directives (PGDs) from April 2013. It will also ensure that existing PGDs with an expiry date after 31 March 2013 will continue to be legal until the PGD either expires or is replaced.
Welsh Government: Could banning chip shops near schools make a difference? Join the public health debate. Banning applications for fast food outlets near schools might make a real difference in encouraging healthier diets, supporting healthy choices and reducing childhood obesity in Wales. This is part of the consultation on whether legislation should be introduced to address the big health challenges facing Wales. The consultation closes on 20 February 2013.