Clinical correspondence handling at NHS Shared Business Services – Public Accounts Select Committee This report looks at the failures in the handling of sensitive clinical data. It makes several recommendations around the correct handling of clinical correspondence and misdirected and unprocessed correspondence. A rapid resolution and redress scheme for severe avoidable…

Training environments 2017: key findings from the national training surveys – General Medical Council (GMC) This report outlines the findings of an annual survey of doctors in training and trainers on the quality of UK medical training and training environments. The report warns that medical education and training is too reliant on…

Autumn budget: NHS spending HM Treasury has published two documents relating to NHS spending following the Autumn budget: NHS spending: Autumn Budget 2017 brief – sets out details of the government’s policy on NHS spending following the budget which announced £6.3 billion of new funding for the NHS in England…

Transforming elective care services NHS England has published two transforming services handbooks aimed at commissioners, providers and those leading the local transformation of services: Transforming musculoskeletal and orthopaedic elective care services Transforming gastroenterology elective care services Inpatient falls The Royal College of Physicians has published National Audit of Inpatient Falls:…

 Accountability in STPs The Nuffield Trust has published A two-way street: what can CCGs teach us about accountability in STPs?   This report explores the accountability and performance management arrangements for CCGs and looks at the implications of these for STPs and accountable care systems.  It is based on 13 interviews…

STPs: destined to fail or the road to better care? – the hospital doctors’ view – Hospital Consultants and Specialists Association This report aims to contributes to existing debates, setting out HCSA members’ experience and views of STPs. The key themes covered in this research were: hospital clinicians’ knowledge of the…

  Cuts, closures and contraception – Advisory Group on Contraception This report details the findings of an FOI audit of all 152 upper and unitary tier local authorities over the summer of 2017. It shows that local authority contraception budgets are being cut and that contraceptive care services have closed or…

Safe, sustainable and productive staffing in urgent and emergency care – NHS Improvement Draft improvement resource to help standardise safe, sustainable and productive staffing decisions in urgent and emergency care. Safe, sustainable and productive staffing for neonatal care and children and young people’s services – NHS Improvement Draft improvement resources to help…

Speak up: annual report 2016/17 – Healthwatch The Healthwatch network heard from 341,000 people, carers and staff during the last year about what they think of health and social care service. This annual report to Parliament highlights a summary of the common theme in people’s good and bad experiences and what could…

  What do the numbers say about emergency readmissions to hospital? – HealthWatch Analysis of the number of people readmitted within the 30-day period after discharge, as well as information about why they were readmitted 2013- 2016 found that: The number of emergency readmissions has risen over the last five…