STPs clash over possible ‘repatriation’ of services – Health Service Journal
Two sustainability and transformation plan areas are in disagreement over a plan to reconfigure cardiovascular services, with one key provider trust citing concerns that “longstanding strong clinical relationships are under threat”.

‘A&E special measures’ proposal rejected – Health Service Journal
A proposal to introduce “A&E special measures” will not go ahead, NHS Improvement chief executive Jim Mackey has told HSJ, after it was revealed in a letter to trusts.

Winter health watch summary: 23 March 2017 – HM Government
Summary for the week including 23 March 2017.

Tight timetable for nursing associate regulation – NHE | NEWS
Jackie Smith, chief executive at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), talks to NHE’s David Stevenson about the challenges her organisation faces in setting up regulation for nursing associates, including the very tight timetable. In December 2015, the government announced a plan to create a new nursing support role. Fast-forward…

NHS England to issue new guidance on low value prescription items – NHS England
NHS England will be leading a review of low value prescription items from April 2017 and introducing new guidance for Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), with a view to substantially saving NHS expenditure in this area. It follows extensive work by NHS Clinical Commissioners which identified significant areas where potential savings can be made, up to […]

A year of plenty? An analysis of NHS finances and consultant productivity – Health Foundation 
This report finds that the NHS used almost half of the £2bn real terms increase in funding it received in 2015-16 to commission care form non-NHS organisations and to support the social care system. The report also highlights that the focus on meeting rising demands for emergency care means that NHS hospitals are receiving lower financial returns which is making it increasingly difficult for NHS trusts to break even.

Quality of care between public and private hospitals
The University of York Centre for Health Economics has published The Effect of Hospital Ownership on Quality of Care: Evidence from England research paper 145. This paper investigates whether quality of care differs between public and private hospitals in England with data on 3.8 million publicly-funded patients receiving 133 planned (non-emergency) treatments in 393 public and 190 private hospital sites.

Self-care and the role of voluntary services
Self Help UK on behalf of Regional Voices has published Self-care everybody’s talking about it. This discussion paper aims to increasing understanding amongst commissioners of the contribution the voluntary and community sector make as enablers of self-care. This paper explores the extent to which the recognition of the contribution of the voluntary and community sector (VCS) at policy level is replicated at a local level in the commissioning of VCS organisations across the East Midlands and East regions by CCG’s.

Giving women control of their healthcare
The All-party Parliamentary group on women’s health (APPG) has published Informed Choice? Giving women control of their healthcare (pdf). This report follows a survey of over 2,600 women and FOI to hospital trusts and which found unacceptable treatment for women with fibroids and endometriosis. The group found that women are not getting the right diagnosis and information about treatments making it extremely difficult for them to decide the best care for themselves.

New equality objectives in health and social care
The Care Quality Commission (CHC) has published new equality objectives for 2017-19. These new objectives for the next two years focus on the CHC regulatory role in improving equality, by checking that providers are making person-centred care work for everyone from all equality groups. The objectives also aim to ensuring providers are meeting the new accessible information standard, which applies to disabled people who have information and communication needs.

Bulletins

• Centre for Health Economics First 2017 Bulletin
• Drug Safety Update: March 2017
• NHS Workforce Bulletin: 20 March 2017
• NHS Managers’ Bulletin: 9 March 2017