Personalised cancer care
Reform has published A data-driven approach to personalised cancer care.  This report considers how a better collection and use of data can significantly improve cancer outcomes.  The new model of cancer care proposed in this paper looks at how data could be examined and used at every stage of the treatment journey, from prevention and diagnosis through to treatment and recovery. Making better use of data will not only improve cancer outcomes but will also enable the NHS to manage the disease far more effectively.

Surgical care practitioners: Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust – NHS Employers 
Torbay and South Devon NHS Foundation Trust was one of the first trusts to recruit surgical care practitioners (SCPs) within England. This case study explores how the trust has successfully integrated SCPs within its orthopaedics department and developed the role, providing SCPs with support and training to extend their scope of practice.

Primary health care in Europe
The WHO Regional Office for Europe has published From Alma-Ata to Astana: Primary health care – reflecting on the past, transforming for the future.  This interim report analyses primary health care progress made in the European region over the past four decades, shares examples of national innovations and makes projections for the future of primary health care.

Doctors are cautioned against using Google Translate in consultations – BMJ  29 October 2018
Doctors should not use Google Translate in consultations with patients because of the risk of introducing communication errors, medical defence organisations have said.

How should health policy respond to the growing challenge of multimorbidity? t – University of Bristol
There is growing awareness internationally of the increasing number of people living with multiple long-term health conditions, known as multimorbidity. Health services, including the NHS, need to adapt to address this challenge. This policy report discusses the issue of multimorbidity, and offers a summary of recommendations.

Improving public health
The Local Government Association has published Sector-led improvement in public health: progress and potential.  This document contains case studies showing the innovations that can be achieved by local areas collaborating within regions on health issues that can best be tackled at scale.

Flu vaccination programme
The House of Commons Science and Technology Committee has published Flu vaccination programme in England.  As a result of the high disease burden of flu in 2017/18 and discussions on variable uptake of vaccination the Committee held a one-off oral evidence session on the flu vaccination programme in March 2018.  This report sets out findings relating to the flu vaccination programme in 2017/18; vaccine uptake; vaccine procurement and provision; and future development in flu vaccination.

NHS finance
The Healthcare Financial Management Association has published NHS capital – a system in distress.  This paper is intended to feed into the current work being undertaken to develop the 10-year financial plan for the NHS. It uses an analysis of the development of the current capital arrangements regime to identify the characteristics a new capital regime should have and suggests some possible solutions to the current problems.

Healthcare at the 2018 party conferences
NHS Providers has published a briefing on the 2018 party conferences.  This briefing sets out the key announcements made by the parties at the 2018 autumn party conferences and the main discussion points from NHS Provider-led roundtables and other events.

Securing funds for the NHS
The Office of Health Economics has published Securing Funds for the Proposed NHS Multi-year Funding: The Feasibility of Using a Hypothecated Tax.  This publication sets out the arguments in favour and against the introduction of a hypothecated tax to fund the UK National Health Service (NHS).

Healthcare (International Arrangements) Bill 2017-19 – Parliament
This bill has been introduced to give the government legal powers to fund and implement healthcare deals after Brexit. It seeks to safeguard healthcare for 190,000 expats and 50 million people who travel abroad every year, through agreements with the European Union or member states.

NIHR Signals

• Non-urgent attendances to emergency departments are more common among younger adults
• Self-monitoring of blood glucose provides no important benefit for most people with type 2 diabetes
• Albumin administrations can prolong survival for some people with liver disease
• Closing five emergency departments not linked with increased hospital admissions, though ambulance call-outs increased

Atlas of Shared Learning

• Palliative care ‘day service’ re-design at Willow Wood Hospice
• “Our Lives, Our Way, Our Journey” empowering people through co-production to influence the quality of their services
• Introduction of a monogenic diabetes services for the North West of England