24/02/2020
Bevan Brittan provides high quality, comprehensive advice to the NHS and independent healthcare sector. This update contains brief details of recent Government publications, legislation, cases and other developments relevant to those involved in health and social care work, both in the NHS and independent sector which have been published in the last month.
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Bevan Brittan Free Training Events
Bevan Brittan Events
Mediation: Supporting clinical and legal teams - 27th February 2020. At this free seminar we will look at supporting clinical and legal teams through the mediation process, review how to prepare for a mediation, what to expect, the roles of the participants, discuss the benefits mediation provides to the patient and the impact mediation has on safety and learning. Justine Sharpe, NHS Resolution Learning and Safety Lead will present on the NHS Resolution recent publication on evaluating mediation in healthcare claims. Suitable for all clinical staff and legal teams who may be required to attend mediation.
Digital Health Forum: Digital Primary Care - priorities, challenges and lessons from abroad - 24th March 2020
Clinical Risk Webinars
Bevan Brittan Clinical Risk/Health, Care and Regulatory Law Team Training - These are internal hour long lunch time training sessions that are attended by our team of solicitors. If your employer organisation is a Bevan Brittan client you can sign up to watch the training sessions remotely via our webinar facility.
If you would like to receive the programme for 2020 just ask Claire Bentley.
Knowledge Transfer
Training. In addition to our free training programme for 2020, we also provide bespoke knowledge transfer sessions on a range of healthcare law topics. If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around training or webinars please contact Claire Bentley.
Liberty Protection Safeguards - If you are interested in being sent updates about this important area please contact Claire Bentley
Acute and emergency care
Publications and guidance
Quality and inequality This analysis finds people living in the most deprived areas of England experience a worse quality of NHS care and poorer health outcomes than people living in the least deprived areas. These include spending longer in A&E and having a worse experience of making a GP appointment.
Early diagnosis matters: making the case for the early and rapid diagnosis of lung cancer Emergency hospital admission is still the most common route for diagnosing lung cancer, and this report finds that patients diagnosed via A&E are more than five times more likely to die within one year of diagnosis than those referred for treatment by their GP. The report lays out ten key recommendations for diagnosing lung cancer earlier in order to increase lung cancer survival. It also includes examples of best practice – demonstrating how certain NHS trusts are working to make the earlier diagnosis of lung cancer happen.
Improving behavioral health care in the emergency department and upstream. This paper provides actionable guidance for hospital emergency departments and their community partners to create a compassionate, seamless and effective system of care that respects and works with patients with mental health conditions and substance use disorders who present to the emergency department. The paper includes: a framework for a better system of care that comprises four key components: processes, provider culture, patients, and partnerships; high-leverage changes and specific change ideas; suggested measures; practical tips and examples; and resources and tools.
News
Seriously ill wait more than hour for ambulance
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around acute and emergency care please contact Claire Bentley.
Children
Publications/Guidance
The state of children's mental health services This report gives an overview of the provision of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) in England. The briefing also looks ahead to assess whether current government plans go far enough to meet demand. It finds that while the NHS has made tangible progress in the provision of mental health services for children, the current system is still far away from adequately meeting the needs of all of the estimated 12.8 per cent of children in England with mental health problems – or the many more children who fall just below the threshold for clinical diagnosis.
Councils share good practice for supporting children and young people’s mental wellbeing The LGA is calling for the Government to provide long-term investment in essential early support and prevention services so councils can help more children to avoid reaching crisis point in the first place.
Taskforce Charter: National Quality Improvement Taskforce for children and young people’s mental health inpatient services. This document provides details of our vision is for mental health, learning disability, and autism inpatient services to be delivered to the consistently high standard that children and young people deserve.
Access to child and adolescent mental health services in 2019 A report from education think tank examines access to specialist services, waiting times for treatment, and provision for the most vulnerable children in England.
Increasing uptake for vaccinations: maximising the role of councils Councils are not directly responsible for commissioning or delivering vaccine programmes, but they are in a unique position to understand the health needs of their local population, and support vaccination services to reach them. This may be through helping immunisation teams work with frontline services such as health visitors or children’s centres, or supporting pop-up vaccination clinics in under-vaccinated areas.
Bevan Brittan Updates
SEND - the perfect storm - Deborah Jeremiah
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around children please contact Deborah Jeremiah.
Clinical Risk
Publications/Guidance
Shifting the mindset: a closer look at NHS complaints Hospitals need to do more to show patients how the NHS is learning from mistakes, according to the latest report from Healthwatch England.
Lack of timely monitoring of patients with glaucoma This national investigation identified that there is inadequate hospital eye services capacity to meet demand for glaucoma services, and that better, smarter ways of working should be implemented to maximise the current capacity. The report highlights that there are innovative measures implemented by some trusts that have reduced the risk, but this good practice is yet to be implemented more widely.
Paterson Inquiry report This inquiry has reviewed the circumstances surrounding surgeon Ian Paterson’s malpractice and considered other past and current practices in the NHS and the independent sector. The inquiry aims to learn lessons from these and to make recommendations to improve the safety and quality of care provided to all patients. See also our Bevan Brittan article on this report. and Nadine Dorries' statement on the Paterson Inquiry report, CQC Statement in response to the Paterson Inquiry report and Surgeons welcome Paterson Inquiry recommendations
Patient Safety Incident Response Framework. National bodies can provide systems and policies for the NHS, but safety is improved at the point of care. An update has been provided on the development of the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework.
An organisation losing its memory? Patient safety alerts: implementation, monitoring and regulation in England An Action Against Medical Accidents (AVMA) report highlights serious issues with the NHS system of issuing patient safety alerts, one of the key tools used by the NHS to prevent known safety risks killing or harming patients. The report, authored by Dr David Cousins, former head of safe medication practice at the National Patient Safety Agency, NHS England and NHS Improvement, also points to issues with monitoring compliance with the alerts and makes recommendations for change.
Maternity survey 2019. Results of the latest CQC survey which looked at the experiences of women receiving maternity services in 2019.
Finalised Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in England for Hip & Knee Replacements, April 2018 – March 2019. Patients undergoing elective inpatient surgery for hip and knee replacement, funded by the English NHS are asked to complete questionnaires before and after their operations to assess improvement in health as perceived by the patients themselves. This publication is for Finalised Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) in England - April 2018 to March 2019.
Consultation
Consultation on requirements for patient safety specialists NHS England will soon ask providers to identify patient safety specialists to oversee and support patient safety activities across their organisation as stated in the NHS Patient Safety Strategy.
News
Part 36 uplift is "all or nothing", rule committee confirms At its November 2019 meeting the Civil Procedure Rule Committee (CPRC) confirmed that a 10% uplift on costs for beating a part 36 offer is "all or nothing" and judges cannot award less. The minutes of its meeting state the approach "lacks flexibility but may be more consistent with the underlying policy of Part 36" and it was recommended the CPRC leave the decision in JLE (A Child) v Warrington and Halton Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (QBD) in place and it has agreed to this. The CPRC will liaise with the White Book and Green Book editors to incorporate relevant commentary.
Bevan Brittan Updates
The Paterson Inquiry – key recommendations - Carlton Sadler
Reconstructing timelines and interpreting NICE Guidelines: a judgement - Julie Charlton
Bevan Brittan Events
Mediation: Supporting clinical and legal teams - 27th February 2020. At this free seminar we will look at supporting clinical and legal teams through the mediation process, review how to prepare for a mediation, what to expect, the roles of the participants, discuss the benefits mediation provides to the patient and the impact mediation has on safety and learning. Justine Sharpe, NHS Resolution Learning and Safety Lead will present on the NHS Resolution recent publication on evaluating mediation in healthcare claims. Suitable for all clinical staff and legal teams who may be required to attend mediation.
Bevan Brittan Webinars
Bevan Brittan Clinical Risk/Health, Care and Regulatory Law Team Training - These are internal hour long lunch time training sessions that are attended by our team of solicitors. If your organisation is a Bevan Brittan client, you can sign up to watch the training sessions remotely via our webinar facility. If you would like to receive more information about the webinars just ask Claire Bentley.
If you wish to discuss any clinical risk or patient safety issues please contact Joanna Lloyd or Penelope Radcliffe.
Commissioning
Publications/Guidance
Thinking differently about commissioning: learning from new approaches to local planning The report explores the implications of ways of working for the development of integrated care systems, how NHS England and NHS Improvement’s regional teams operate, and wider ways of working among NHS national bodies.
Overview of the sexual health collaborative commissioning evaluation The main findings show that it is achievable for the responsible commissioners (local authorities, clinical commissioning groups and NHS England) to commission collaboratively and that this offers many potential benefits.
Evaluating digital health products Digital health products can take different forms – for example, a service, campaign or other intervention. They might be provided through an app or website. These resources can help with evaluations for all digital health products. They aim to help demonstrate the impact of a product and how the costs compare with the benefits. They can provide information about how to make services better, including what works and what doesn’t. They can also help demonstrate the value of a product to commissioners.
If you wish to discuss the issue of commissioning please contact David Owens
Digital Health
Publications/guidance
Evaluating digital health products Digital health products can take different forms – for example, a service, campaign or other intervention. They might be provided through an app or website. These resources can help with evaluations for all digital health products. They aim to help demonstrate the impact of a product and how the costs compare with the benefits. They can provide information about how to make services better, including what works and what doesn’t. They can also help demonstrate the value of a product to commissioners.
White Paper on Artificial Intelligence: a European approach to excellence and trust. This White Paper presents policy options to enable a trustworthy and secure development of AI in Europe.
Bevan Brittan Events
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around Digital Health please contact Daniel Morris.
Employment/HR
Publications/guidance
Specialty, associate specialist and locally employed doctors workplace experiences survey: initial findings report This report contains the initial results of a survey of specialty and associate specialist (SAS) and locally employed (LE) doctors – the one in six UK doctors who are not GPs, consultants nor in training roles. The survey found that 30 per cent of SAS doctors and 23 per cent of their LE counterparts had been bullied, undermined or harassed at work in the past year, either by colleagues or by patients and their families.
The UK's points-based immigration system: policy statement. This policy statement sets out the government’s plans for a new UK points-based immigration system.
A points-based system and salary thresholds for immigration This report considers how a points-based immigration system could be introduced in the UK to strengthen the UK labour market. Accompanying the report are annexes reviewing salary thresholds for the future immigration system and a report commissioned from Oxford Economics to extend the evidence base.
Living in the red: the cost of living crisis for London’s nursing workforce This report investigates how London’s cost of living impacts on nursing staff working in the capital. It shows that London’s high cost of living is forcing nursing staff out of the capital due to its high accommodation and travel costs. The report sets out three recommendations to help address the problem.
Improving NHS workplace culture. Nineteen whistleblowing champions have been appointed to health boards across Scotland in a move aimed at creating a more honest and open workplace culture within the NHS.
The Immigration Health Surcharge Most non-EEA nationals applying for temporary leave to remain in the UK must pay an 'Immigration Health Surcharge' (IHS) to the Home Office, in addition to the immigration application fee. The Government has a manifesto commitment to increase the charge and extend it to EEA nationals after the Brexit transition period.
Gender and nursing as a profession: valuing nurses and paying them their worth This report explores and critiques the gendered construction of value within the nursing profession and evaluates how value is attributed to nursing, the value placed on individuals and the status of the profession.
Supporting reservists in primary care NHS Employers has produced a resource pack outlining Ministry of Defence support for organisations employing reservists and wants to understand primary care organisations’ experience of employing reservists.
Violence against NHS staff: letter to the workforce Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock writes to all NHS staff about the problem of violence faced by those working for the NHS.
Bevan Brittan Updates
New year, new immigration policy - Ashley Norman.
Employment Eye - Alert: Changes to Section 1 Statements - Alastair Currie
Employment Eye - Jodie Sinclair
Paying Tax on Pension Savings – the NHS Pension Scheme and Beyond - Philip Woolham
If you wish to discuss any employment issues generally please contact Jodie Sinclair, Alastair Currie or James Gutteridge.
Finance
Publications/Guidance
How can the NHS harness its economic power in local populations? As the biggest employer in England and a significant economic force in local communities, the NHS has a unique opportunity to influence the wellbeing of the population it serves.
Investigation into the rescue of Carillion's PFI hospital contracts A National Audit Office report on its investigation into the rescue of Carillion's PFI hospital contracts, finds that the Royal Liverpool hospital is now forecast to be completed more than five years late, in the autumn of 2022. It is now predicted to cost a total of £1,063 million to build and run compared to the original £746 million. The Midland Metropolitan hospital, due to open in October 2018 is now expected to open in July 2022. It is now predicted to cost at least £988 million in total to build and run compared to the original £686 million. The private sector has borne most of the cost increases.
An unnecessary divide: the impact of pensions taxation on NHS trust leaders This report suggests concerns over taxation of pensions may lead to an exodus of NHS leaders in the next two years. It includes survey findings indicating almost half of all trust leaders plan to, or are considering, leaving the NHS because of the pensions crisis. Nine in ten respondents to the survey said that they and their organisation were concerned that differential arrangements for different staff groups – for example, offering a solution to senior doctors and nurses but not managers - would also create divisions and harm culture and morale.
Legislation
NHS funding bill enters Parliament The government has introduced the NHS Long Term Plan Funding Bill, which will enshrine in law an extra £33.9 billion a year by 2024 for the NHS. The bill places a legal duty on both the secretary of state and the treasury to uphold this minimum level of NHS revenue funding over the next four years. The bill will not seek to limit the NHS in deciding how funding is spent and where – a decision that is made by local clinicians for their local populations.
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around finance please contact Claire Bentley.
Information sharing/data
Consultations
Improving patient safety by bringing private healthcare and NHS information together into NHS systems. An NHS Digital consultation concerns the first set of changes under the Acute Data Alignment Programme (ADAPt) which has been initiated between NHS Digital and the Private Healthcare Information Network (PHIN) to explore how data collected by PHIN from UK private healthcare providers could be aligned to NHS data standards and integrated into relevant NHS quality and safety reporting systems. Comments by 31 March 2020.
News
Can we ever trust Google with our health data?
NHS England targets digitisation of millions of GP records
NHS at risk of sharing patient data unlawfully
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around information sharing please contact Jane Bennett.
Inquests
Cases
R (on the application of Lewis) v Senior Coroner for North West Kent [2020] 2 WLUK 180 A coroner's failure to leave the issue of neglect to a jury, in a case where the deceased who had mental health issues had died from malnutrition, when a finding of neglect was open to the jury on the evidence, was not reasonable and a fresh inquest was ordered.
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around inquests please contact Toby De Mellow.
Liberty Protection Safeguards
The Liberty Protection Safeguards will replace the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards framework on 1 October 2020. It is expected that the draft Code and Regulations will be laid before Parliament this Spring. The scheme will apply in all settings including in an individual’s own home.
These new safeguards will significantly alter who can authorise a deprivation of liberty. It is essential that Liberty Protection Safeguard leads, advisers and senior managers are aware of the new framework and are ready for these changes.
To assist you in preparing for the introduction of the Liberty Protection Safeguards, we are offering the following:-
Onsite training sessions
We will be offering onsite training sessions which will be tailored according to your needs.
- Liberty Protection Safeguards - A basic overview. This is a 2 hour session which will give large groups a basic overview of how the Liberty Protection Safeguards will apply to your organisation. This session will be appropriate for junior or less experienced staff.
- Liberty Protection Safeguards - This is a detailed 4 hour training session for senior and experienced staff who will be implementing the LPS in their organisation.
Updates
We will be publishing updates considering the Liberty Protection Safeguards and how it impacts on different types of organisation.
Liberty Protection Safeguards Seminars
SAVE THE DATE
03.06.20 – Bristol
18.06.20 – Birmingham
08.07.20 – Leeds
16.07.20 – London
These sessions will include an overview of the Liberty Protection Safeguards and a panel discussion involving representatives from different organisations that will be impacted by the LPS to discuss how they are preparing for the new framework and the issues they have encountered.
Knowledge site and forum
We have set up a secure site and forum for clients which stores relevant legislation, guidance, articles and updates. There will also be a secure forum which you can use to post queries to/share knowledge with other colleagues up and down the country who are interested in the Liberty Protection Safeguards.
If you are interested in any of the resources above please contact Claire Bentley.
Mental Health
Publications/guidance
Councils share good practice for supporting children and young people’s mental wellbeing The LGA is calling for the Government to provide long-term investment in essential early support and prevention services so councils can help more children to avoid reaching crisis point in the first place.
Taskforce Charter: National Quality Improvement Taskforce for children and young people’s mental health inpatient services. This document provides details of our vision is for mental health, learning disability, and autism inpatient services to be delivered to the consistently high standard that children and young people deserve.
Commission for Equality in Mental Health: Briefing 1 A briefing from the Centre for Mental Health looks at the financial and investment challenges facing mental health providers. It warns that the provision of mental health services is not being prioritised across the whole of the NHS despite progress by the sector to innovate and transform services
Monitoring the Mental Health Act in 2018/19. The ninth annual report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) on the use of the Mental Health Act 1983, setting out the CQC's findings from engagement with people subject to the Act and review of services registered to assess, treat and care for people detained using the legislation. It highlights five key areas of concern, including: the use of human rights principles and frameworks; involvement in care; people in long-term segregation; access to care and treatment; and the interface between the MHA, the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards.
Measuring progress: commitments to support and expand the mental health workforce in England This report finds that recent commitments to support and expand the mental health workforce have fallen short of their goals. To assess progress against these commitments and identify where further action is required, the report analyses workforce data and a survey of health care professionals working in the sector.
Access to child and adolescent mental health services in 2019 A report from education think tank examines access to specialist services, waiting times for treatment, and provision for the most vulnerable children in England.
Enabling positive lives for autistic adults A quick guide for social workers Having good person-centred conversations that explore strengths and differences can empower autistic adults to make informed decisions about their care and support.
Information on the health and care of people with learning disabilities NHS Digital has published information on the health of people with learning disabilities in 2018/19. It covers key health issues for people recorded by their GP as having a learning disability.
Mental health: Achieving ‘parity of esteem’ Update from the House of Commons Library.
Declare Your Care: People with learning disabilities. Key findings for people with a learning disability their family, carers and advocates.
The state of children's mental health services This report gives an overview of the provision of Children and Young People’s Mental Health Services (CYPMHS) in England. The briefing also looks ahead to assess whether current government plans go far enough to meet demand. It finds that while the NHS has made tangible progress in the provision of mental health services for children, the current system is still far away from adequately meeting the needs of all of the estimated 12.8 per cent of children in England with mental health problems – or the many more children who fall just below the threshold for clinical diagnosis.
Legislation
Mandatory Training on Learning Disabilities and Autism Bill 2020 Lords 1st: 16/1/2020 | HL Vol 801 col 827 Session: 2019/20 Summary: A Bill to mandate training on learning disability and autism for all health and social care staff undertaking regulated activities in England; and to provide for the Secretary of State to publish a code of practice for specialist training on learning disability and autism.
Questions in Parliament
Mental Health Services: Hospital Wards: Written question - 1370 In response to a written question asking about the timeframe for the ending of mixed sex wards in mental health facilities, the Department of Health and Social Care stated that, in following an Independent Review of the Mental Health Act that recommended improvements to the physical environment of inpatient mental health wards and the tightening of the definition of single sex accommodation, a White Paper will be published in early 2020 setting out the Government's response to the Review's recommendations and a Mental Health Bill will be brought forward to amend the Act when parliamentary time allows.
Autism and Learning Disability: Written question - 276. Responding to a written question asking what steps the Government plans to take to deliver the commitment to improve how autistic people and people with learning disabilities are treated in law, the Department of Health and Social Care states it will be responding to the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983's recommendations and to proposals to change the scope of the Act in a white paper early in 2020. It will then consult publicly on proposals and bring forward a new Mental Health Bill to amend the Act.
Bevan Brittan Updates
Making future decisions about patients whose capacity state is vulnerable - Stuart Marchant
The State of Care in Mental Health Services - Toby de Mellow
Guidance on applications relating to serious medical treatment - Stuart Marchant, Claire Bentley and George Riach
Bevan Brittan Mental Health Training - These are internal hour long lunch time training sessions that are attended by our team of solicitors. If your organisation is a Bevan Brittan client you can sign up to watch the training sessions remotely via our webinar facility.
How can we help?
Fixed fee training packages. We have devised a two-part fixed fee training package to ensure mental health professionals are up to speed with their duties and to enable key managers to proactively manage caseloads. We regularly deliver these sessions to provider and commissioner organisations, including their partner agencies. If you would like more information click here.
Early Intervention Scheme and Triage. Our EIS allows us to help commissioners, providers and care co-ordinators identify packages of care and treatment interventions, for people who lack capacity, that need an appropriate legal framework. If you would like more information click here.
Bevan Brittan Mental Health Extranet
Would you like to access the Bevan Brittan Mental Health Extranet? - It is a secure online resource containing a discussion forum, knowledge bank and information about training events. If you would like access please contact Claire Bentley.
If you wish to discuss any mental health issues please contact Hannah Taylor, Simon Lindsay or Stuart Marchant.
Primary Care
Publications/guidance
How to build effective teams in general practice General practices are coming together to form primary care networks (PCNs) and new roles are being introduced, creating multidisciplinary and multi-agency teams. Effective teamworking will be fundamental to the success of these new ways of working. This guide draws on insights from our research, policy analysis and leadership practice to outline ways in which practices can create and sustain effective teams.
Supporting reservists in primary care NHS Employers has produced a resource pack outlining Ministry of Defence support for organisations employing reservists and wants to understand primary care organisations’ experience of employing reservists.
RCGP launches LGBT e-learning suite for family doctors The Royal College of GPs, in partnership with the Government Equalities Office (GEO) has launched a suite of e-learning resources to support GPs and other healthcare professionals to deliver the best possible care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans (LGBT) patients.
Practice guidance: offering 25% of appointments online NHS England has published a guide containing to support general practices to make sure that at least 25% of their appointments are available to book online.
The GP contract agreement 2020/21 – 2023/24 NHS England and the BMA have updated the document setting out the five-year agreement for the GP contract and PCNs. This page sets out guidance and links to further resources to support implementation of changes to General Medical Services (GMS) contractual arrangements that will apply in England in 2020/21.
Realising the neighbourhood NHS: delivering a new deal for primary care This report calls for general practitioners to become salaried employees of the NHS, rather than independent contractors, known as partners, who run their own GP practices. This move would overturn the historic model of general practice that has been in place since 1948. It argues that this shift, to be phased in, would enable the NHS in England to deliver better access to, and quality of, primary care in the community and would also help to address the workforce crisis in general practice.
QOF quality improvement case studies. Three case studies developed by the Royal College of General Practitioners, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Health Foundation which provide examples of how practices could approach their quality improvement activity.
If you wish to discuss any issues involving primary care please contact Vincent Buscemi.
Providers
Publications/Guidance
Rebuilding our NHS: why it's time to invest The long-term plan for the NHS set out a vision for an NHS built around preventive and technologically enabled models of care. This report argues that there needs to be an appropriate capital settlement to support the ambitious vision of the plan. Delivery will require the transformation and upgrade of existing facilities, as well as enhanced digital capabilities and investment in diagnostic equipment. In recent years there has been a prolonged under-investment in facilities across the English NHS as a whole, which has left too many providers with inadequate buildings, failing equipment and an inability to adopt new technologies to improve care.
Bevan Brittan Updates
Consultation on Updates to the Risk Assessment Framework for Independent Sector Providers of NHS services - Vincent Buscemi
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around providers please contact Vincent Buscemi.
Public Health
Publications/guidance
Community-centred public health: taking a whole system approach These resources aim to provide guidance to improve the effectiveness and sustainability of action to build healthy communities and to embed community-centred ways of working within whole systems action to improve population health. They are intended for use by local authority, NHS and voluntary and community sector decision-makers.
Equality in Public Health England: how we met the public sector equality duty in 2019 The equality duty is supported by two specific duties that require public bodies such as Public Health England (PHE) to: publish information to show their compliance with the equality duty; and set and publish equality objectives at least every four years. These reports set out how PHE responded to meeting these two specific duties.
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around public health please contact Claire Bentley.
Social Care
Publications/Guidance
Evidence scope: loneliness and social work Looks at the evidence around the role of social workers in preventing and reducing loneliness and isolation.
If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around social care please contact Monica Macheng or Stuart Marchant
General
Publications/Guidance
HIV in the United Kingdom: towards zero HIV transmissions by 2030, 2019 report This report shows that due to increases in HIV testing, fewer people remain unaware of their HIV status. It concludes that the goal of eliminating HIV transmission by 2030 depends on sustaining prevention efforts and further expanding them to reach everyone at risk.
NHS Choice Framework Sets out patients’ rights to choice in healthcare, where to find information to help choose, and how to complain if choice isn’t offered.
For a greener NHS. NHS England has launched the For a greener NHS campaign to tackle the climate ‘health emergency’ and help reach an ambition to become net carbon zero.
NHS operational planning and contracting guidance 2020/21 This guidance covers system planning, full operational plan requirements, details of workforce transformation requirements, the financial settlement and the process and timescales around the submission of plans that the NHS must plan to produce during 2020/21.
Coronavirus: latest information and advice Information for the public on the outbreak of coronavirus in China, including the current situation in the UK and information about the virus and its symptoms.
Deaths in prison: a national scandal This report aims to provide insight and analysis into findings from 61 prison inquests in England and Wales in 2018 and 2019. It details safety failures, including mental and physical health care, communication systems, emergency responses, and drugs and medication. It also looks at the wider statistics and historic context. It makes recommendations to improve safety and prevent future deaths, including reallocating resources from criminal justice to community-based health and welfare services.
Increasing uptake for vaccinations: maximising the role of councils Councils are not directly responsible for commissioning or delivering vaccine programmes, but they are in a unique position to understand the health needs of their local population, and support vaccination services to reach them. This may be through helping immunisation teams work with frontline services such as health visitors or children’s centres, or supporting pop-up vaccination clinics in under-vaccinated areas.
Patient assessments of NHS food, cleanliness and other non-clinical aspects of hospital care Results of the annual patient-led assessments of non-clinical elements of care, such as catering services, cleanliness and waiting facilities.
If you wish to discuss any queries around this general topic please contact Claire Bentley.
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