Revealed: the trusts set to be highlighted for reporting concerns – HSJ Article

Six trusts that have been in special measures over the past year are among those set to be named as having a poor culture of reporting patient safety incidents

Consultants could give up weekend working ‘veto’ – HSJ Article

Hospitalconsultants could give up their veto on delivering non-urgent care at weekends if employers agree to safeguards

Industrial action and contingency planning – NHS Employers 

This question and answer briefing provides guidance to employers in the NHS on managing the legal and practical issues presented by the threat of industrial action.

• Briefing
• Resources

Tackling health inequalities: the case for investment in the wider public health workforce – Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) 

This report calls for greater investment and better understanding of the impact of the wider public health workforce – people who are not professionally qualified public health practitioners, but have the ability or opportunity to positively impact public health in their community. This includes health trainers, health champions, and non-health professionals. It argues that this “wider workforce” could be instrumental in reducing the burden of health inequalities – the financial cost of which was last estimated at close to £60bn.

• Report
• Press release

NHS sickness absence further reduced – NHS Employers 

The latest NHS staff sickness absence rates released by the Health and Social Care Informatics Centre (HSCIC) show a decrease in overall sickness absence, falling to 4.31 per cent in February 2014 from 4.33 percent in February 2013.

Closing the Gap through Changing Relationships

The Health Foundation has published Closing the Gap through Changing Relationships: evaluation an independent evaluation of the programme. The closing the gap through changing relationships programme was launched in 2010. The programme funded seven projects, which aimed to change one or more of three types of relationships: between the individual using a service and those who work in healthcare provision, between people using services and the wider healthcare system and between communities and the wider healthcare system. This is the report of the programme evaluation carried out by the Office for Public Management. The evaluation found that changing relationships is about fundamental change and requires an explicit and sustained focus. It is not something that can simply be articulated or aspired to and then left to happen on its own.

New approach to inspecting multi-agency child services

From April 2015, the way the Care Quality Commission inspect multi-agency arrangements that help, protect and care for vulnerable children and young people will be changing. A new, integrated approach will involve CQC working in partnership with Ofsted, HMI Constabulary, HMI Probation and HMI Prisons to carry out inspections. Under the new approach, inspectorates will be on site within a local authority area during the same four week inspection period, enabling improved sharing of information. The Care Quality Commission will be carrying out pilot inspections to help assess the new approach in October this year. The CQC is asking for feedback from partners and all professionals with child protection expertise and experience to help shape the plans for these pilot inspections.

BMA leaders demand fair funding formula for NHS

Doctors have called on the government to introduce a fair funding formula for the NHS which recognises that predicted demographic changes will require additional investment.

Treatment for stable HIV patients in England: can we increase efficiency and improve patient care? – Journal of Health Services Research & Policy

This study aims to estimate the costs and potential efficiency gains of changing the frequency of clinic appointments and drug dispensing arrangements for stable HIV patients compared to the costs of hospital pharmacy dispensing and home delivery.

ACOs: a step in the right direction – Healthcare Executive Article

This article includes recommendations that may serve to accelerate collective efforts toward achieving cost- and quality-related improvements at scale. Using a fictional scenario involving a patient with chronic lung disease, the IHI authors describe the challenges under the current fee-for-service system, and what success might look like under an ACO.

• Requires free registration with IHI to download.

Management and medicine: why we need a new approach to the relationship – Journal of Health Services Research & Policy

This article discusses the need for new policies and approaches to support the changing connections between medicine and management.

MTG18 The MAGEC system for spinal lengthening in children with scoliosis: guidance – NICE

The case for adopting the MAGEC system for spinal lengthening in children with scoliosis is supported by the evidence. Using the MAGEC system would avoid repeated surgical procedures for growth rod lengthening. This could reduce complications and have other physical and psychological benefits for affected children and their families. It should be considered for use in children with scoliosis aged 2 years and over who need surgery to correct their spinal curvature, for example when conservative methods such as bracing or casting have failed.

A systematic review of the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of sensory, psychological and behavioural interventions for managing agitation in older adults with dementia – Health Technology Assessment

Systematically reviews and synthesises the evidence for clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions for reducing agitation in dementia, considering dementia severity, the setting, the person with whom the intervention is implemented, whether the effects are immediate or longer term, and cost-effectiveness. It finds person-centred care, communication skills and DCM (all with supervision), sensory therapy activities, and structured music therapies reduce agitation in care-home dementia residents. Future interventions should change care home culture through staff training and permanently implement evidence-based treatments and evaluate health economics.