Quality and safety news - 7 February 2013

Some of the resources linked to are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.

New highlights are:

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry

Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry: On 9 June 2010 the Secretary of State for Health, Andrew Lansley MP, announced a full public inquiry into the role of the commissioning, supervisory and regulatory bodies in the monitoring of Mid Staffordshire Foundation NHS Trust. The report of the full public inquiry into the failings at the Mid Staffordshire Foundation Trust was published on 6 February 2013. The inquiry, led by Robert Francis QC, looks at the role of commissioning, supervisory and regulatory bodies and why serious problems at the trust were not identified and acted on sooner. Abuse and neglect at the hospital has led to the unnecessary deaths of hundreds of patients. The report states that NHS Staff should face prosecution if they are not open and honest about mistakes and that "fundamental change" was need to prevent the public losing confidence in the NHS.
View the: Final report.

Responses and commentary

• RCN responds to Francis Inquiry.
• RCN This is nursing: Francis inquiry FAQs for RCN members.
• BBC Health: Stafford Hospital: Hiding mistakes 'should be criminal offence'.
• BBC Health: Stafford Hospital: the scandal that shames the NHS.
• BBC Health: Stafford Hospital: Robert Francis QC to meet families.
• CQC: Care Quality Commission response to Francis Report.
• CQC: Public inquiry into the serious failings at Mid Staffordshire.
• DH: Prime Minister responds to Inquiry report.
• DH: Department responds to Mid Staffs Public Inquiry report.
• DH: NHS leaders encouraged to hold staff listening events following Mid Staffs report.
• Guardian: David Cameron's prescription for NHS failings: target pay of nurses.
• Guardian: Peter Carter - Overworked NHS nurses not to blame for Mid Staffs scandal.
• Guardian: Mid Staffs hospital scandal: key recommendations of the Francis report.
• Health Foundation: Responding to the Francis Inquiry Report.
• Health Service Journal: Francis report – analysis. (Free registration to view content).
• King’s Fund: The Francis Inquiry report.
• Nursing Times: Francis report into Mid Staffs.
• NMC: NMC welcomes Francis report.
• Nuffield Trust: Mid Staffordshire Public Inquiry: will the public and patient voice be heard?
• Social Care Institute for Excellence: Francis report - SCIE response.

BBC Health: Self-harm: ChildLine reports calls relating to five-year-olds. Charity ChildLine has taken calls about self-harm relating to children as young as five, its manager in Wales says. While self-harming is most prevalent among older teenage girls, there are fears it also affects younger children.

Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS): Ministers announce initiative to exploit economic opportunities in health. Speaking at the Northern Ireland Connected Health and Prosperity Event at the European Parliament in Brussels, Health Minister Edwin Poots and Enterprise Minister Arlene Foster announced the establishment of a Task and Finish Group (TAFG) to exploit economic opportunities from the health sector.

Foundation Trust Network (FTN): Quality of patient care. This open letter to member chairs and chief executives ahead of the publication of the Francis report, due out on 6th February, acknowledges that poor pockets of care are likely to exist across the NHS.

King’s Fund: Spending on health and social care over the next 50 years: why think long term? This report considers the drivers of spending on health and long-term care, and asks whether spending must or should consume such large proportions of GDP in the future, and the fiscal feasibility of this. It examines the evidence that spending will inexorably rise, considers projections and high-level modelling of future health spending both in the United Kingdom and internationally, and debates alternative systems of assessing current and future spending. It also suggests a need for engaged and informed public debate about the choices to be made in future spending on health and social care.
Spending on health and social care over the next 50 years Why think long term?
RCN: the NHS must adapt.

National Association of Care Catering (NACC): National Nutrition Day 20 March 2013. The National Association of Care Catering (NACC) has joined forces with the Hospital Caterers Association  (HCA) to help raise awareness of the importance of good nutritional care, which includes hydration, in all social and healthcare settings throughout the UK. The day will focus on providing vital advice and guidance to health and social professionals on the action that can be taken to help prevent undernutrition and dehydration. The NACC and HCA are promoting the introduction of Nutrition Advocates. Details of this initiative and case studies illustrating good nutrition practice are available to download.
Press release (PDF 99.7KB): HCA and NACC announce joint initiative to raise awareness of nutrition and hydration in social and healthcare settings.

NHS Commissioning Board (NCB): Learning sites will build partnerships between local health and social care commissioners and charity, community and social enterprise sector. Twelve areas will receive up to £50,000 each to support the Building Health Partnerships Programme – development and national sharing of best practice in partnerships and relationships between health commissioners and the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector.

NCB: The way forward: clinical senates. Clinical Senates will bring together a range of professionals to take an overview of health and healthcare for local populations and provide a source of strategic, independent advice and leadership on how services should be designed to provide the best overall care and outcomes for patients. This document outlines the different roles of Clinical Senates, explains how they will perform these and also how they will interact with other organisations in the new health system, including CCGs, HWBs and Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs). 

NCB: Sir David Nicholson apologises to people of Mid Staffordshire and pledges positive and swift response to public inquiry. Sir David Nicholson Chief Executive of the NHS Commissioning Board, speaking at an event in London to National Voices, has apologised to the people of Mid Staffordshire on behalf of the NHS, saying it had “let people down in the most devastating way”. He pledged to respond positively and swiftly to the recommendations of the public inquiry into events Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.

Patient Safety First – Nutrition and Hydration Week 18-24 March 2013: a taste of patient safety. On 18 March 2013 Patient Safety First, with the support of key partners, will be hosting the second annual Nutrition and Hydration Week (#NHW2013) to reinforce and focus energy, activity and engagement on nutrition and hydration as part of patient safety improvement. This web page will be the home for all information and resources for Nutrition and Hydration Week. The week is still in the design phase andPatient Safety First welcome any ideas and suggestions for activities and events to take place during the week - you can submit these via an online form. You can also register to receive regular email updates.

Scottish Government: Action on child sexual exploitation. A programme of action to tackle child sexual exploitation in Scotland has been announced by Minister for Children and Young People Aileen Campbell.