New nursing degree apprenticeship – Department of Health
The first apprentice nurses could be working on wards from September, and once established, up to 1,000 apprentice nurses could join the NHS each year. Aspiring nurses will join the apprenticeship at different stages, depending on their qualifications and experience, and stay in work whilst learning. By offering staff who want to progress more flexibility, regardless of whether they are health care support workers or already working towards higher level qualifications, employers will be able to open up a career in nursing to people from all backgrounds.

Ophthalmology common clinical competency framework
A new Ophthalmology common clinical competency framework (CCCF) has been published by the Royal College of Ophthalmologists to provide standards of knowledge and skill required for non-medical eye healthcare professionals.  The Framework covers four clinical areas: acute and emergency eye care, cataract assessment, glaucoma and medical retina

Effect of market structure on hospital quality for elective procedures
The University of York Centre for Health Economics has published Market structure, patient choice and hospital quality for elective patients (Research paper 139).  This paper examines the change in the effect of market structure on hospital quality for elective procedures (hip and knee replacements, and coronary artery bypass grafts) following the 2006 loosening of restrictions on patient choice of hospital in England 

Governance and STPs
NHS Providers in partnership with Hempsons Solicitors has published Governing for transformation:  STPs and governance. This report sets the context for STPs, identifies the challenges for organisations, examines the role of the board, and addresses the constraints of current legislation. It provides practical guidance on governance for those concerned with the leadership and direction of STPs, and makes clear that the nature, scale and pace of local transformation must be determined by local realities.

Education and training for sepsis – Health Education England
Health Education England has published Getting it right: the current state of sepsis education and training for healthcare staff across England. The purpose of this report is to provide a broad understanding of the current provision of sepsis education and training for healthcare staff across England. The report includes examples of good and innovative practice in sepsis training and highlights high quality educational resources which could be promoted nationally for use in sepsis training.

Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme
The Royal College of Physicians has published the third annual Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme (SSNAP) report Mind the Gap!  The report shows that despite stroke care continuing to improve year on year, work is still required to ensure that all patients have access to high quality care regardless of where they live or when they are admitted to hospital. SSNAP has also published 2016 acute organisational audit.  This is a snapshot audit that measures the structure of stroke services in acute hospitals.

NHS England authorises controversial CCG plans to delay surgery for obese patients – NHE 
Vale of York CCG’s controversial proposals to ask obese people and smokers to lose weight and cease smoking or face delays to routine surgical procedures have been approved by NHS England. Patients with a BMI of over 30 will be asked to lose weight or face a year’s delay for elective surgery while smokers will be asked to quit…

NHS trust leaders warn of ‘much higher level of risk’ – NHE 
The NHS is facing a “much higher level of risk” than it can sustain, NHS Providers has warned as it published a new report which revealed widespread fears about service quality, funding and workforce levels. The survey covered 172 chairs and chief executives from 136 hospital, mental health, community and ambulance…

NICE guidance and advice
Medtech innovation briefings:
MIB86   OCS Heart system for heart transplant
MIB87   CytoSorb therapy for sepsis
MIB88   Sternal Talon for sternal closure in cardiothoracic surgery
MIB89   Impella 2.5 for haemodynamic support during high-risk percutaneous coronary interventions

HSJ roundup: (contact the library for further details on any of these HSJ articles)

• Hospital trust eyes takeover of more GP practices 
  A vanguard acute trust is holding talks with seven GP practices with a view to fully integrating them into its primary care provider arm by the end of 2016-17, HSJ has learned.
• Controversial trust pension scheme deemed legal  
  An NHS trust’s controversial pension scheme has been ruled as legal by regulators.
• Ambulance trust speeds pregnancy calls following baby’s death  
  An ambulance trust has upgraded how it responds to some emergency calls from pregnant women, following the death of a full-term baby.
• Mackey: STPs will ‘reboot’ and help cut ‘enormous’ overheads  
  The chief executive of NHS Improvement has said some regional health systems could “change their governance mechanisms” to create a single entity to run the NHS in their area.
• ‘Treasury door open on capital’, says Jim Mackey 
  Jim Mackey has said he argues ‘every day’ with the Treasury for more money, but warned the NHS must first produce more convincing plans to make sound capital investments and rationalise overheads.
• Hundreds of ‘core’ posts could be cut under STP proposal  
  Hundreds of band five nursing, social worker and therapist posts could be cut in Nottinghamshire as part of the county’s sustainability and transformation plan.