Turning Value-Based Health Care into a Real Business Model – Harvard Business Review
The shift from volume-based to value-based health care is inevitable. Although that trend is happening slowly in some communities, payers are increasingly basing reimbursements on the quality of care provided, not just the number and type of procedures. But because most providers’ business models still depend on fee-for-service revenues, reducing volume (and increasing value) cuts into short-term profits. How, then, are innovative providers redesigning care so that, despite financial pain in the short term, they achieve long-range success?

New guidance to raise awareness of the importance of good nutritional care – NHS England
NHS England has published new guidance to help ensure patients receive excellent nutrition and hydration care. The guidance has been produced to address the issues raised within ‘Hard Truths’ and the Francis Report; and to the concerns of patient, carers and the public with regard to malnutrition and dehydration. Malnutrition is still a concern for the health service and is more common than many people expect – affecting more than three million people in the UK at any one time. Around 1 in 3 patients admitted to hospital or who are in care homes are malnourished or at risk of becoming so. Poor nutrition and hydration not only harms patients’ health and wellbeing, it can also reduce their ability to recover and leads to increased admissions to hospitals and care homes. The new guidance draws together the most up-to-date evidence based resources and research to support commissioners to develop strategies to help ensure excellent nutrition and hydration care in acute services and the community. It also outlines why commissioners should make this issue a priority – how to tackle the problem, how to assess the impact of commissioned services and highlighting the good work which is already underway.

George Eliot makes second attempt to recruit chief executive – Health Service Journal
A financially troubled West Midlands trust is looking to recruit a permanent chief executive after a previous attempt failed to attract a suitable candidate. George Eliot Hospital Trust, which came out of special measures in July last year, has been searching for a permanent chief executive since Kevin McGee left in September 2014.

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Ten patients wait over a year for treatment at Manchester trust – Health Service Journal
Ten patients have been waiting over a year for treatment at University Hospital of South Manchester Foundation Trust, including one patient who has waited over three years. The trust stopped reporting its referral to treatment waiting list in March when it discovered “inaccurate reporting” of patients waiting longer than 52 weeks for treatment.

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Auditor panels: guidance to help health bodies meet their statutory duties, September 2015 – Department of Health
This guidance has been produced by the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) and the Department of Health for NHS bodies who will need to appoint auditors under the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014 for the financial year 2017 to 2018. As these auditor appointments must be in place by 31 December 2016, NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups need to have their auditor panel in place in early 2016 in order to begin the process of appointment.

‘Important’ preparation work now needed for revalidation – Nursing Times
Nursing and midwifery organisations have warned that registrants must be adequately “prepared” for revalidation and then “supported” through the process, now its introduction has been approved.  The Nursing and Midwifery Council today rubber-stamped guidance on revalidation and agreed that the new system of competency checks would be introduced across the UK in April 2016.

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Employment of people with learning disabilities in the NHS
NHS Employers and NHS England have launched a pledge for organisations that support the employment of people with learning disabilities in the NHS. Organisations can progress through the pledge steps, starting with showing their commitment, right through to being a successful employer of people with learning disabilities. The new pledge programme is the latest resource to be launched as part of the commitment to support the employment of more people with learning disabilities in NHS organisations.

Statistics

• Provisional Monthly Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in England – April 2014 to March 2015 – October 2015
• Provisional Monthly Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in England – April 2015 to May 2015
• Birth Characteristics in England and Wales – 2014
• Waiting times for suspected and diagnosed cancer patients  – August 2015
• Referral to treatment waiting times statistics for consultant-led elective care – August 2015
• A&E attendances and emergency admissions – August 2015
• Diagnostics waiting times and activity – August 2015
• NHS 111 minimum dataset – August 2015
• Delayed transfers of care – August 2015
• Ambulance quality indicators clinical outcomes – May 2015
• Ambulance quality indicators systems indicators – August 2015

Bulletins

• NHS foundation trust bulletin – 7 October 2015