Knowledge @lert for Tuesday 26th January

January 26, 2016 Daily News

Advice to pregnant women travelling to Zika affected areas
The Royal College of Obstetricians has issued a press release highlighting new advice for pregnant women on travel to countries where Zika virus transmission is ongoing. This follows the first case in the US of a baby born with microcephaly whose mother was infected with Zika while in Brazil. The National Travel Health Network and Center (NaTHNaC) in the UK now advises that pregnant women should consider avoiding travelling to countries where Zika outbreaks are currently reported to reduce the risk to their babies.

Managing invited reviews within healthcare
The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the Royal College of Midwives and Royal College of Nursing have published A framework of operating principles for managing invited reviews within healthcare. The purpose of the framework is to ensure that there are similar principles, standards and working practices across non-statutory external reviews of NHS clinical services carried out by Colleges, professional bodies or other organisations.

Management of adult diabetes services
The Public Accounts Committee has published Management of adult diabetes services in the NHS: progress review. The Committee concludes that while progress has been made since the Committee last examined diabetes services, there remain “unacceptable variations in the take up of education programmes, delivery of recommended care processes, achievement of treatment standards and in outcomes for diabetes patients”. The Committee calls on the Department and NHS England to take action to improve the spread of best practice in preventing and treating the condition. The report makes a number of recommendations including that by April 2016, diabetes data should be used to identify clinical commissioning groups performing poorly compared to the national average.

Policy update for all agency staff working in the NHS
Monitor has issued a policy update summarising a letter sent NHS Improvement’s Chief Executive to NHS trust and foundation trust chief executives about the next steps on agency spending controls to relieve financial pressure on the NHS. New framework arrangements to tackle agency costs and support staff back into substantive and bank roles sets out details for reducing price caps from 1 February 2016 as previously proposed and ensuring all agency procurement for all staff groups is via approved framework agreements.

Weight management initiative case study
NHS Employers has published details of a case study which demonstrates the work of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and their aim to improve staff health and wellbeing, by promoting and encouraging staff to sign up to a healthy lifestyle and weight management programme. The programme was designed as an interactive and flexible skills-based group workshop available to staff that had expressed an interest in health and fitness assessments.

Mobility of health professionals across Europe
New rules have come into force governing the free movement of professionals, including health professionals, around the European Union. The rules include key changes for the NHS which include updated minimum training requirements for midwives, doctors, general care nurses, dentists and pharmacists, as well as the introduction of an EU-wide warning system to guard against rogue professionals entering the UK from other EU countries and vice-versa. Other updates include stronger language controls, so any health professional unable to show they have sufficient language skills will need to have an English language assessment.

Delivering the Forward View: technical guidance and supporting annexes
As part of the Delivering the Forward View planning guidance published in December, Technical guidance and supporting annexes have now been published. This planning document set steps to help local organisations deliver a sustainable, transformed health service and improve the quality of care, wellbeing and NHS finances.

NICE consultations