Improving value in specialised services
NHS England has published Improving Value in Specialised Services: Menu of Opportunities.  This document provides an overview of schemes aimed at improving value in specialised services and is aimed at commissioners and providers of both specialised services and other parts of the patient pathway including acute commissioners and providers.  For each scheme, a summary of the opportunity, potential benefits & savings, useful resources including case studies where available, key performance indicators and contact details for more information are provided.

Time for Care programme
NHS England has announced the Time for Care programme will be extended for another three years.  The programme has enabled general practice surgeries across the country adopt new ways of working like letting patients book appointments sooner, cutting paperwork and offering faster access to different specialist health professionals.  The programme aims to cover three quarters of GP practices by 2022.

NHS efficiency map
The Healthcare Financial Management Association and NHS Improvement have worked in partnership to update and revise the NHS efficiency map. The map is a tool that promotes best practice in identifying, delivering and monitoring cost improvement programmes in the NHS. The map contains links to a range of tools and guidance to help NHS bodies improve their efficiency.

Transforming elective care services
NHS England has published three handbooks supporting the improvement of local health and care systems for the following elective care services:

• Transforming cardiology elective care services
• Transforming ear, nose and throat (ENT) elective care services
• Transforming urology elective care services

Specialist rehabilitation following major injury
The Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership has published Report Synopsis – National Clinical Audit of Specialist Rehabilitation following Major Injury.  This is the third and final report on the provision of specialist rehabilitation following major trauma which finds that access to specialist rehabilitation appears limited and needs much closer attention paid to the implementation of the standards that already exist.

Comprehensive Investment Appraisal (CIA) Model
The Department of Health and Social Care has published the Comprehensive Investment Appraisal Model. The CIA Model is for use by the NHS to support economic appraisals in business cases. It replaces the Generic Economic Model (GEM). It is accompanied by a user guide.

Stroke community services
NHS England has published Practical guidance supporting the 2019-20 Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN): Six month reviews for stroke survivors. This supporting guidance for the Community CQUIN applicable for providers of stroke community services, outlines how to undertake the six month post stroke reviews and record these on SSNAP (the Sentinel Stroke National Audit Programme).

Adult social care: Quality Matters
The Department of Health and Social Care has published Quality Matters summary action plan: second edition. This summary action plan provides information on the action plan for year 2 of the Quality Matters initiative, which is aimed at improving adult social care.

NICE guidance:

NICE guidelines

Medtech innovation briefing

Technology appraisal guidance

NIHR Signals
The following research summaries have been added to the National Institute for Health Research website:

• Are track and trigger systems linked to rates of in-hospital cardiac arrest?
• E-cigarettes helped more smokers quit than nicotine replacement therapy
• Communication problems are top of patients’ concerns about hospital care
• Does an antibacterial milk protein reduce infection in premature babies?
• One gram a day of omega-3 supplements does not reduce the risk of cancer or cardiovascular disease
• Having more registered nurses on general wards is linked to lower mortality
• Various drugs are effective and well-tolerated for generalised anxiety disorder

NICE Surveillance reports
NICE has published the Surveillance Reports below.  These provide a summary of new evidence published related to a NICE guideline and include the decision that NICE has taken about the need to update the guideline.

• Behaviour change: individual approaches (PH49, 2014) – surveillance decision: NICE will not update the guideline
• Psychosis and schizophrenia in adults: prevention and management (CG178, 2014) – surveillance decision: NICE will not update the guideline
• Transient loss of consciousness (‘blackouts’) in over 16s (CG109, 2010) – surveillance decision: NICE will not update the guideline
• Developing and updating local formularies (MPG1, 2014) – surveillance decision: NICE will not update the guideline
• Medicines adherence: involving patients in decisions about prescribed medicines and supporting adherence (CG76, 2009) – surveillance decision: NICE will not update the guideline
• Medicines optimisation: the safe and effective use of medicines to enable the best possible outcomes (NG5, 2015) – surveillance decision: NICE will not update the guideline
• Stroke rehabilitation in adults (CG162, 2013) – surveillance decision: NICE will update the guideline
• Child maltreatment: when to suspect maltreatment in under 18s (CG89, 2009) – surveillance decision: NICE will not update the guideline

Statistics

• Conceptions in England and Wales: 2017
• Quarterly conceptions to women aged under 18 – October to December 2017
• Combined Performance Summary – April 2019
• Monthly hospital activity data – February 2019
• Provisional Accident and Emergency Quality Indicators for England – February 2019, by provider
• A&E attendances and emergency admissions – March 2019 and Quarterly report (Q4)
• Provisional Monthly Hospital Episode Statistics for Admitted Patient Care, Outpatient and Accident and Emergency data – April 2018 – February 2019
• Referral to treatment waiting times statistics for consultant -led elective care – February 2019
• Delayed Transfers of Care – February 2019
• NHS 111 Minimum Data Set – March 2019 data
• Diagnostics waiting times and activity – February 2019
• Mixed Sex Accommodation Breaches – February 2019
• Critical care bed capacity and urgent operations cancelled – February 2019

Bulletins

• NICE in Social Care – April 2019
• NHS Workforce Bulletin – 8 April 2019
• NHS Providers – The big picture – April 2019 (this is a new quarterly briefing providing trusts with a national policy overview of key issues)