NICE’s new symptom–based approach will help to save thousands of lives from cancer – NICE
Thousands of lives in England could be saved each year if the NHS follows updated guidance to help it diagnose cancer earlier, NICE says. NICE has updated and redesigned its guideline to support GPs to recognise the signs and symptoms of 37 different cancers and refer people for the right tests faster.

Give AHPs more powers to unlock new care models, says NHS England official – Health Service Journal
Plans to give allied health professionals the ability to prescribe medicines without the input of a doctor will help the NHS develop new models of care, an NHS England official has said.

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NHS must prioritise ‘a good death’ – Nursing solutions for palliative care – Royal College of Nursing
The RCN has responded to Triggers for Palliative Care, a new report from Marie Curie and launched new guidance on end of life care and nutrition and hydration for nursing staff.

Employment checks – references for new doctors in training – NHS Employers
Guidance for trusts refusing to accept references from medical schools as part of pre-employment checks.

Improving patient safety culture through teamwork and communication: TeamSTEPPS – Hospitals in Pursuit of Excellence (HPOE)
Health care teams that communicate effectively reduce the potential for human error, resulting in enhanced patient safety and improved clinical performance. This guide outlines a framework for improving organisational communication and teamwork skills to improve patient safety.

New programmes to protect against meningitis and septicaemia
The Department of Health has announced a new vaccination programmes will launched this summer aimed at protecting babies and young people against the meningococcal bacterium. From August 2015 all 17 and 18 year olds will be offered a combined vaccine that protects against the A, C, W and Y strains of meningococcal disease. The vaccine will also be available to older students aged 19 to 25 who are starting university this year. From spring 2016 there will also be a school-based vaccination programme for MenACWY, which will replace the MenC-only vaccine that is currently offered to school Years 9 and 10. There will also be a catch-up programme for those in Year 11. From September, babies aged 2 months will be offered the MenB vaccine, protecting against meningococcal B disease, followed by a second dose at 4 months and a booster at 12 months. There will also be a limited catch-up programme for infants who are due their 3 and 4 month vaccinations in September.

Record seizure of counterfeit and unlicensed medicines and devices made in UK
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has announced £15.8 million worth of counterfeit and unlicensed medicines and devices have been seized in the UK as part of a global operation. The seizures, the biggest recorded to date in the UK include large quantities of illegally supplied and potentially harmful slimming pills, erectile dysfunction tablets, anaemia tablets and narcolepsy tablets. Unlicensed foreign medicines and fake condoms were also found and removed.

NHS Injury Costs Recovery scheme
The Department of Health has published updated details for the NHS Injury Costs Recovery scheme: April 2014 to March 2015.  It has also published details of the amounts collected for the first two months of the current financial year NHS Injury Costs Recovery scheme: April 2015 to March 2016. The scheme aims to recover the cost of NHS treatment where personal injury compensation is paid, for example after a road traffic accident.

Transforming the health care system
The King’s Fund has published Transforming our health care system: Ten priorities for commissioners. This document was originally published in March 2011.  The feature of all the priorities identified in the report is the degree to which they call for change within primary care and the way in which primary care relates to the rest of the system. To achieve this, the report highlights that CCGs will need to work closely with NHS England regional teams including through co-commissioning arrangements introduced in April 2015. Together, they need to set out what ‘good care’ in general practice looks like and use peer influence to lift performance.

Causes of poverty
The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF) has published two new reports on poverty. The details are as follows:

• Tackling the systemic causes of poverty – This paper contributes to JRF’s developing anti-poverty strategy for the UK. It suggests a multi-dimensional approach that reflects the complexity of poverty dynamics and tackles the underlying causes, rather than just the symptoms of poverty.
• Reducing poverty through policies to cut the cost of living – This paper proposes reforms to policies which affect the markets in five areas, to reduce the cost of living: housing; energy; childcare; food and ‘sin’ taxes.

Dignity in Care
Social care institute for excellence has produced three new films about dignity. The new films show a number of innovative ways to contribute to caring with dignity while being sensitive towards personal hygiene, change management and practical assistance.