Consultation responses

Plans to ring-fence money for public health are well-intentioned, the Royal College of Nursing has said, but it is unclear which services would be covered, how the money would be safeguarded, and how a public health ‘premium’ would work in practice.

The RCN's response has been informed by the views of its members, including nearly 500 nursing staff from a range of health settings, who responded to an RCN online questionnaire.

This is the Royal College of Nursing response to the Department of Health consultation on a new value based approach to the pricing of branded medicines.

The Government announced a review of specialist disability employment programmes on 2 December 2010.

To protect workers’ health and safety, minimum rules are needed on working time in all EU Member States. Over the years, the RCN has taken an active interest in the issue of working time and how long hours and shift work affects the health and safety of our members and the patients they care for.

The Compliance Framework was first published on in March 2005 and is updated each year to reflect developments in healthcare.

The Department of Health launched a consultation, as required under the Code of Practice for Official Statistics, to seek feedback on a proposal to stop producing a report on the self-reported experience of patients from black and minority ethnic groups.

Some of the proposals, if confirmed, will be for inclusion in the 2010-11 annual reports and accounts of NHS foundation trusts.

We welcome the Government's commitment to the Family Nurse Partnership Programme and to expanding the number of health visitors in recognition that providing support and early intervention to families will help children to develop the resilience needed in adulthood. However, we call on the Government to monitor the impact of budget cuts on the most vulnerable in society to ensure that they are not the ones who are hit hardest by tough financial decisions.

This consultation sought views on the Government‘s proposals to replace Disability Living Allowance (DLA) with a new benefit – Personal Independence Payment.