NHS Long Term Plan
NHS England has published The NHS Long Term Plan.  The plan is intended to make the NHS fit for the future and to get the most value for patients out of the taxpayers’ investment.  It focuses on making sure everyone gets the best start in life, delivering world-class care for major health problems and supporting people to age well.   It also sets potential actions for overcoming the challenges that the NHS faces, such as staff shortages and growing demand for services.  Local plans for 2019/20 are expected to be published by April 2019 with local five-year plans published in Autumn 2019.

Additional links: NHS Long Term Plan website | Case studies | NHS England press release

Operational planning and contracting 2019/20
NHS England has published Preparing for 2019/20 operational planning and contracting.  This preparatory guidance covers system planning, the financial settlement, operational plan requirements and the process and timescales around the submission of plans. The full guidance will accompany five-year indicative CCG allocations in early January.

NHS England has also published:

• Annex D: NHS England Guidance for Finance Business Rules
• Annex E: Integration of specialised services with local health and care systems
• Annex F: Joint Technical Definitions for Performance and Activity

Additional link: NHS Improvement information | NHS Providers briefing

Brexit operational readiness guidance
The Department of Health and Social Care has published Brexit operational readiness guidance for the health and care system in England.  This guidance will support the health and care system in England to be prepared for a no-deal scenario.  It summarises the areas where the department is focusing no-deal exit contingency planning, and where local action is required.  Further operational guidance will be provided to support the health and care system to prepare for the UK leaving the EU before 29 March 2019.

2019/20 NHS Standard Contract consultation
NHS England has published, for consultation, the draft 2019/20 NHS Standard Contract (both full length and shorter-form versions).  The consultation paper describes the main changes proposed in the contracts.  NHS England is also proposing to mandate use of a standard Activity and Finance Report (known as the Aggregate Contract Monitoring report) format, and supporting data flows, for all acute and mental health services commissioned under the full-length version of the Contract.  Closing date for comments on these documents is 1 February 2019.

Primary care in 2019
Primary Care Commissioning has published the following document and commentary relating to the provision of primary care services in 2019:

• What the preparatory planning guidance means for primary care (pdf) – summarises the 2019/20 preparatory planning guidance with particular reference to primary care.  It identifies renewed emphasis on cooperation at system level to develop ICS and increased pressure on commissioners to nurture the primary care networks that will be building blocks of ICS.
• What’s in store for primary care in 2019? – outlines the main themes expected in the long term plan and their implications for primary care.

Clinical guidelines for major incidents
NHS England has published Clinical guidelines for major incidents and mass casualty events.  These guidelines have been created with the occasional trauma team in mind. They have been produced following major incidents dealt with over the last couple of years.  They have been developed by experts in the subject areas from both civilian and military practice.

Clinical commissioning policies / service specification
NHS England has published the following Clinical Commissioning Policies which it will commission in accordance with the criteria outlined in these documents:

• Trientine for Wilson disease (all ages)
• Metreleptin for congenital leptin deficiency (all ages)
• Everolimus for refractory focal onset seizures associated with tuberous sclerosis complex (ages 2 years and above)
• Selective internal radiation therapy for chemotherapy refractory intolerant metastatic colorectal cancer

NHS England has also published the following policies which it will NOT routinely commission in accordance with the criteria outlined:

• Sapropterin for Phenylketonuria (all ages)
• Human coagulation factor X for hereditary factor X deficiency (all ages)

 NHS England has published the following service specification:

• Small bowel transplantation service (children and adults)

NIHR Signals

• Pelvic floor muscle training can improve symptoms of urinary incontinence
• Repeat thyroid function tests for healthy older people are not needed
• People leaving hospital after medical illness do not benefit from extended clot reducing treatment

Atlas of Share Learning
The following case studies have been added to the Atlas of Shared Learning:

• One to one antenatal and postnatal support for mental health – Northern Lincolnshire and Goole
• The ‘No catheter – No catheter associated urinary tract infection’ programme – Newcastle upon Tyne
• A ‘Trial Without Catheter at home’ programme at the Royal Victoria Infirmary – Newcastle upon Tyne
• Delivering home based phototherapy to babies with physiological jaundice – Whittington Health
• Small Changes, Big Impact – Healthcare assistant development in a tissue viability clinic – Bradford
• Newark acute home visiting service

Statistics

• Abortion statistics for England and Wales – 2017
• NHS injury costs recovery scheme – April 2018 to March 2019
• Practice level prescribing – October 2018
• Average attendance rates in A&E for alcohol poisoning
• Never Events – 1 April – 30 November 2018
• Oral health survey of 5-year-old children – 2014 to 2015
• Oral health of 5 and 12 year old children attending special support schools in England: 2014
• Seasonal flu vaccine uptake in children of primary school age: monthly data – 1 September 2018 to 30 November 2018
• E. coli bacteraemia: monthly data by onset and CCG – November 2017 to November 2018
• E. coli bacteraemia: monthly data by CCG – November 2017 to November 2018
• P. aeruginosa bacteraemia: monthly data by onset and CCG – November 2017 to November 2018
• MRSA bacteraemia: monthly data by CCG and by location of onset – Nov 2017 to November 2018
• MSSA bacteraemia: monthly data by CCG and location of onset – Nov 2017 to November 18
• C. difficile infection: monthly data by CCG and onset status – November 2017 to November 2018
• Klebsiella spp. bacteraemia: monthly data by onset and CCG – November 2017 to November 2018