Knowledge @lert for Friday 23rd October

October 23, 2015 CCG Daily News

Bliss Baby Report 2015
This report has heard from neonatal units, transport services and parents across the country in order to assess the state of neonatal care in England in 2015. It found that neonatal staff are being forced to cope with consistently high demand, with far too few resources resulting in units being unable to meet national standards for high quality and safe care.

The role of diagnostics in antimicrobial resistance
The Review on Antimicrobial Resistance has published Rapid diagnostics: stopping unnecessary use of antibiotics. This reportprovides an overview of how diagnostics can play an important role in the fight against antimicrobial resistance, by reducing unnecessary use. It then looks at the problems with low uptake of diagnostics and how toincrease innovation. The report also calls formore research into clinical trials and the economic benefits of diagnostics as well as using an innovation fund to pay for early stage funding into diagnostic research.

How is the NHS performing? October 2015.
Quarterly Monitoring Report.The NHS is now entering seriously dangerous financial territory which will have ramifications for patients and for all levels of NHS management.

Choosing and booking – and attending? Impact of an electronic booking system on outpatient referrals and non-attendances – Centre for Health Economics (CHE)
This study examines whether the introduction of an electronic booking system for general practices making hospital appointments reduced patient non-attendances and referrals. Looking at data from 7900 practices over a five-year period, it found that the use of the system was associated with a reduction in both referrals and non-attendances.

Sugar reduction report
Public Health England has published Sugar Reduction: from evidence to action. This document brings together the international evidence on interventions to help reduce the nation’s sugar consumption, as requested by the Department of Health. It contains options including further regulation of promotions, restrictions on the marketing of high sugar products, the impact of fiscal measures and a voluntary reformulation programme. This is the first time the evidence on the subject has been collated and assessed.

Clinical Audit Awareness Week 9-13 November 2015
This year’s Clinical Audit Awareness Week is set to take place from Monday 9 to Friday 13 November 2015. This is the third annual awareness week organised by Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) to enable Trusts, Health Boards, audit providers and other organisations to promote their quality improvement work. HQIP has produced a suite of free promotional materials based around the ‘Audit Tea Break’ event concept which has proved popular in the two previous events.

BKBC Twitter Challenge Resources
The Better Knowledge Better Care Twitter Challenge consists of twenty tasks. It is recommended that one task be completed per day, however many users have found that due to their short nature, tasks can be grouped together and easily completed when there is ten to fifteen minutes to spare. Those who are completely new to Twitter can begin the Challenge at the start and work their way through.

Eyes on Evidence
The latest edition of Eyes on Evidence (October 2015) includes the following items:

Intra-arterial treatment for acute ischaemic stroke
Drugs with anticholinergic effects and risk of cognitive impairment, falls and all-cause mortality
Suicide prevention programmes in schools
Pregnancy outcomes in women who have had bariatric surgery
Physical and mental health of carers
Changes to the BNF
Evidence summaries from NICE’s Medicines and Prescribing Programme
Prucalopride for chronic constipation
Chronic pain: unintentional overdose in people receiving opioid analgesics for non-cancer pain
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: the effect of roflumilast on exacerbations in people with severe disease – the REACT study

NICE shared learning: lifestyle changes can benefit health and social care staff
NICE has added a new case study to its local practice database How training on positive lifestyle changes can benefit health and social care staff. Published by Bolton Council Staff this case study relates to NICE guidance NG18 on disability, dementia and frailty in later life, where recommendation 13 advises training on brief interventions for all health and social care staff, and that this this training should help participants change their own behaviour to reduce their own health risks. Staff evaluations of health promotion training provided at Bolton Foundation Trust showed how it may prompt staff to evaluate their own lifestyles.

EU funding for research and innovation
The NHS European Office has published EU funding for research and innovation 2014-2020: seizing the opportunities for NHS organisations. This briefing outlines the background of the ‘health, demographic change and wellbeing’ programme of Horizon 2020 the EU’s research and innovation funding programme including what the funds will support in the 2016-2017 period, the main opportunities for the NHS in England and how to access the funding.

Nuffield Trust Strategy 2015 – 2020
The Nuffield Trust has published Improving UK health care: Nuffield Trust Strategy 2015 – 2020. This strategy document sets out a new direction for the Nuffield Trust for the next five years. It outlines how the organisation intends to build on a reputation for being a leading centre of research and policy analysis by devoting more time and energy to helping NHS staff and policy-makers develop solutions to the challenges facing the NHS.

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