Quality and safety news - 4 April 2013

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

News highlights are:

BBC Health: NHS structure changes come into force. Government reforms of the NHS in England have come into force and health leaders warn of a tough year ahead. April 1 2013 marked the first day of the new structures. GP-led groups have taken control of local budgets and a new board, NHS England, has started overseeing the day-to-day running of services.

BBC Health: No more covering up errors, NHS told. The NHS will have a legal duty to be honest about mistakes as part of an overhaul of the system in the wake of the Stafford Hospital scandal.
Guardian: Nurses must spend a year on basic care.

DH: Patients First and Foremost: the Initial Government Response to the Report of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry. This document sets out the government’s initial response to Robert Francis QC’s report on the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust public inquiry. It details actions to ensure that patients are the first and foremost consideration of the health and care system and everyone who works in it.
Press release: Government publishes initial response to the Mid Staffordshire NHS Public Inquiry Report.
RCN: Reservations expressed about government response to Francis.
Guardian: NHS care overhaul measures don't go far enough, say patient groups.

DH: The health and care system explained. This webpage gives an overview of the new health and care system, which becomes fully operational from the 1st April. It covers the role of the Department of Health in the new system; what the changes to the health and care system mean for patients and local communities; how health and care organisations will work together locally; how health and care organisations will work together nationally; and how the interests of people using health and care services will be protected.

DH: The new home on the web for the Department of Health. The Department of Health is the latest central government organisation to move its corporate and policy content onto Gov.UK. The website is the new single home for all government services and information.

DH: Ongoing support for health and wellbeing boards post-April 2013. From 1 April 2013, responsibility for the ongoing development and support programme for health and wellbeing boards transferred from the Department of Health to the Local Government Association (LGA). The LGA has been working with the department to bring together the key national organisations whose members and delivery organisations will be operating in the new locally-led health environment, including Public Health England, the NHS Confederation, NHS England, the Association of Directors of Public Health and Healthwatch England. Together they will develop an offer of support for the members and organisations involved in local health and wellbeing boards, local government, and local Healthwatch to create an environment within which boards can provide the best possible support for their local communities.

Diabetes UK: Just one in five people with diabetes has condition under control. Only one in five people with diabetes in England and Wales is reaching the targets for keeping their condition under control, according to a new analysis by Diabetes UK. The analysis, based on data from the National Diabetes Audit, shows that 19.9 per cent of people with diabetes (all types) in England meet the recommended targets for blood glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol. In Wales, this figure is just 18.5 per cent.
BBC Health: Ministers urged to improve diabetes checks.

Guardian: Hospitals to be fined if they fail patients. Hospitals will face financial penalties if they fail to give patients with problems such as a stroke or heart attack the best possible care, under plans spelled out by the NHS's top doctor. Professor Sir Bruce Keogh told the Guardian they will hold back from a hospital part of the fees for an operation if the patient has not been treated to the highest possible standards.

HSCIC: New Health and Social Care Information Centre established April 2, 2013. The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) has been established as an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (ENDPB). The trusted source of authoritative data and information relating to health and care, HSCIC plays a fundamental role in driving better care, better services and better outcomes for patients. Established on April 1, HSCIC's remit was outlined in the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and the Government's recent information strategy for health and care in England.

King’s Fund: The new NHS. The King’s Fund has drawn on their policy research and analysis to examine four key aspects of the NHS reforms: CCGs, health and wellbeing boards, economic regulation and providers.

NHS England: Chairman welcomes new name for NHS Commissioning Board. The Chairman of the NHS’s new national body has welcomed the change of the organisation’s name to NHS England. The new body, which has until now been known as the NHS Commissioning Board, will have overall responsibility for the £95 billion NHS commissioning budget from 1 April 2013. The main aim of NHS England is to improve the health outcomes for people in England. It will set the overall direction and priorities for the NHS as a whole.
NHS Commissioning Board: Use of the name 'NHS England' by the NHS Commissioning Board (NHS CB) (PDF 75KB).
DH: NHS Commissioning Board name change to NHS England.

NHS Improving Quality: NHS Improving Quality (NHS IQ) is the driving force for improvement across the NHS in England. It brings together the wealth of knowledge, expertise and experience from across the NHS, establishing a new vision and re-shaping the healthcare improvement landscape. As part of the NHS England, NHS IQ is creating for the first time an improvement organisation that is in alignment with the needs and challenges of the NHS. NHS IQ’s priorities are aligned to the five domains of the NHS Outcomes Framework.

Public Health England (PHE): This new national body, an executive agency of the Department of Health, took up its full responsibilities on 1 April 2013. Using the new public health outcomes framework to measure the health of the nation for the next three years, PHE will help bring about fundamental improvements in the public’s health and wellbeing. It will carry out national tasks including health surveillance and developing a national strategy for reducing health inequalities.