Knowledge @lert for Wednesday 21st October
Lord Carter will produce ‘clearer guidance’ on nurse staffing levels
Innovating inventory management
Urgent care commissioning standards guidance
National price caps for agency staff working in the NHS
End of life care: government response
Lord Carter will produce ‘clearer guidance’ on nurse staffing levels – HSJ
Lord Carter is looking to establish ‘clearer guidance’ on safe staffing levels as part of his review of NHS efficiency. He said his team was working with regulators to produce a “safe range” for staffing at a speciality level, which would help provide “air cover” when trusts faced inspection. The Labour peer and a team at the Department of Health have been working with 32 trusts to identify opportunities for savings in workforce management, medicines, estates and procurement. In an interview, he also told HSJ:
- The cohort of 32 trusts will receive, by the end of this week, a savings figure the DH believes it can achieve.
- Every other acute trust will receive its savings target in the coming weeks, and there will be room for negotiation before targets are finalised.
- His review will identify places or organisations where service reconfiguration is needed.
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Innovating inventory management
The NHS Confederation has published details of a case study showing how Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust has adopted an innovative inventory management system. Its introduction has enabled the trust to revolutionise the way it spends money, realising significant cost savings, reducing waste and improving efficiencies. The changes have also enabled the trust to exceeded government requirements such as those in the eProcurement Strategy. The new processes have led to the consolidation of orders, monitoring of supplier lead times, and data to support rationalisation and standardisation of products, all aiding an enhanced procurement process.
Urgent care commissioning standards guidance
NHS England has published Commissioning standards: integrated urgent care. This document outlines the standards which commissioners should adhere to in order to commission a functionally integrated 24/7 urgent care access, treatment and clinical advice service (incorporating NHS 111 and Out-of-Hours (OOH) services). It aims to bring urgent care access, treatment and clinical advice into much closer alignment through a consistent and integrated NHS 111 service model.
National price caps for agency staff working in the NHS
Monitor and the NHS Trust Development Authority (NHS TDA) have launched Price caps for agency staff: proposed rules and consultation. The proposal sets out plans to introduce caps on the total amount NHS providers can pay per hour for an agency worker. Monitor and the TDA will consider all responses to the consultation and decide whether, when and how to implement the price caps. Subject to that process, the aim is to introduce the price caps on 23 November 2015. The consultation closes on 13 November 2015.
Impact case studies
The National Audit Office (NAO) has published the following impact case studies:
- Driving improvements in NHS stroke care – shows how work by the NAO prompted a national strategy for stroke care and NHS adoption of clinical best practice more widely
- Improving the procurement of consumables by NHS trusts – highlights how work undertaken by the NAO motivated the Department of Health to develop a tool and coding system that standardised and reduced consumables procurement costs in the NHS
- Helping to improve accountability in the health system – shows how frequent highlighting of the need for consistent and reliable data and clearer accountability has improved reporting and data assurance in the health system.
End of life care: government response
The Department of Health has published Government response to the House of Commons Health Select Committee report on end of life care. This response sets out what has been done recently to improve end of life care, including: the 5 priorities for the care of the dying person; the Care Quality Commission’s inspection regime; and publication of the choice review and ambitions for palliative and end of life care.
- Nalmefene (HTTA325) – NICE technology appraisal support
- Bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people (QS102) – covers the recognition, early intervention and management of bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia (including related psychotic disorders such as schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder and delusional disorder) in children and young people under 18.
- Surveillance report – conduct disorders in children and young people (2013) NICE guideline CG158 – surveillance decision: the guideline will not be updated at this time.
- Bladder cancer: Topic engagement. Closing date for comments: 30 October 2015.
- Diabetes in adults QS (update) : Topic engagement. Closing date for comments: 30 October 2015.
- Duchenne muscular dystrophy (nonsense mutation) – ataluren [ID428] : Evaluation consultation. Closing date for comments: 6 November 2015.
- Preoperative tests (update) : Draft guidance consultation. Closing date for comments: 23 November 2015.
- Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) recorded dementia diagnosis – September 2015
- Direct access audiology waiting times – August 2015
- Mixed sex accommodation breaches – September 2015