Title: The week: 25 February to 3 March 2011
Author: User
Last saved by: Test
Company: Department of Health

The week: for NHS and social care leaders

The week: 14 – 20 September 2012 
for NHS and social care leaders

Issue: 265

On the agenda

Doctors urged to encourage staff immunisation against flu 
In an open letter to doctors, Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Chief Medical Officer and Dr Mark Porter, Chair of Council at the British Medical Association have stressed the vital role that doctors can play in ensuring that as many frontline staff are vaccinated against flu as possible. The letter also includes supporting evidence on the importance of the influenza vaccine. NHS organisations are urged to use this letter locally to encourage doctors to have their flu jabs.
Letters for nursing and midwifery staff and allied health professionals will be available shortly.
For further information, go to: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/09/get-flu-jab/

Preparing the PbR package for 2013-14 
A letter from David Flory updates the NHS on work to prepare the payment by results (PbR) package for 2013-14 and outlines a provisional timetable for the rest of the process. NHS chief executives will wish to discuss planning for the road test of the PbR package with relevant colleagues, and subsequent implementation from 1 April 2013.

For further information, go to: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/09/pbr-2013-14/

Policy news
1. Methadone and children    

Consultations and evaluations
No news this week

Publications
2. The NHS (pharmaceutical services) regulations 2012 (amendment) 
3. Support for local authorities to develop a diverse, high quality local market
4. European antibiotic awareness day 			  
5. The state of medical education and practice in the UK: 2012

Conferences and events
6. Safer surgery week                                                            
7. Commissioning for integrated health and care conference
8. National children and adults services conference (NCAS) 
9. Delivering a 7 day imaging service, 
10. Data quality and clinical coding for improvement
11. PROMs summit 2012

i. what’s new
No news this week

ii. places still available
No news this week

Patient safety alerts
Refer to website below

Extra notes
Chief executives are reminded that all communications requiring the attention of NHS and local authority management must include a Gateway reference number. In order to streamline the number of communications issued by the Department, these will continue to be summarised in ‘the week’ every Thursday.

Policy news

1. Methadone and children
(Gateway reference number: 18162)
The Department has received notification that some parents/carers have illicitly given part of their prescribed methadone to their child(ren), to help treat an illness and/or to help with the child(ren)’s sleep, sometimes with tragic consequences. It may be helpful for clinicians, when advising patients about the risks of methadone to children, such as fatal overdose, and of the importance of the safe use and storage of their methadone, to consider reinforcing the message that even a small amount of methadone could have fatal consequences if consumed by a child.

Link: http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/clinical_guidelines_2007.pdf
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to discuss the implications with their leads in drug services.

Consultations and evaluations
No news this week

Publications

2. The NHS (pharmaceutical services) regulations 2012 (amendment) 
(Gateway reference number:18129) 
These regulations make three amendments to the NHS (pharmaceutical services) 2012 regulations, which came into force on 1 September, in respect of restoring an appeal right, the treatment of members of limited liability partnerships and the dispensing of prescriptions by dispensing doctors. The amendment regulations come into force on 1 November.

Link: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2012/2371/contents/made
Action: PCT cluster chief executives will wish to discuss and consider any local implications with relevant staff.

3. Support for local authorities to develop a diverse, high quality local market
(Gateway reference number:18164)
The Government has launched ‘Developing care markets for quality and choice’. This support programme will help authorities meet the new duty in the draft Care and Support Bill to facilitate a diverse, high quality local care market to meet the needs and goals of all local people. 

Links: http://ipc.brookes.ac.uk/dcmqc.html  
http://caringforourfuture.dh.gov.uk/2012/09/18/dcmqc-launch/
Action: Local authority chief executives are encouraged to work with senior officials across their local authority to promote the programme and ensure they benefit from this additional support. Any queries should be e-mailed to: dcmqc@brookes.ac.uk

4. European antibiotic awareness day 
(Gateway reference number:18101) 
The Chief Pharmacist is seeking support for European antibiotic awareness day (EAAD) on 18 November 2012 to help tackle one of the most significant threats to patient safety in Europe - the rise of antibiotic resistance. Materials for local promotion of the responsible use of antibiotics are available on the DH website. 

Link: http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/2012/09/eaad-ce-letter-2012/
Action: To help make EAAD a success,  NHS chief executives will wish to ensure European antibiotic awareness day is highlighted on their trust intranet/website and take other actions such as run local campaigns.

5. The state of medical education and practice in the UK: 2012
(Gateway reference number:18163)
The General Medical Council launched its new report ‘The state of medical education and practice in the UK: 2012’ on 18 September. The report provides a picture of today’s medical profession, identifies some of the challenges it faces and highlights some of the barriers and enablers to good medical practice.

Link: www.gmc-uk.org/somep2012 
Action: NHS chief executives will wish to consider the implications.

Conferences and events

6. Safer surgery week
(Gateway reference number:17061) 
Patient Safety First and the Clinical Board for Surgical Safety are hosting safer surgery week, commencing 24 September 2012. There are a number of local activities designed to help improve the quality and reliability of local implementation of the five steps to safer surgery, including online webinars hosted by Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director, and Jane Cummings, Chief Nursing Officer. 
 
Link: http://www.patientsafetyfirst.nhs.uk/Content.aspx?path=/Campaign-news/safer-surgery-week-2012/
Action:  NHS chief executives will wish to review the activities of safer surgery week to ensure their staff take part in the activities. 

7. Commissioning for integrated health and care conference
(Gateway reference number:17140) 
On 29 October, the NHS Commissioning Board and Local Government Association will be hosting a joint one-day conference promoting examples of shared learning around integrated services, system leadership, joint planning and sector-led improvement and innovation, and looking at how to commission services in a more integrated way.

Link: http://www.local.gov.uk/web/guest/events/-/journal_content/56/10171/3664087/EVENT-TEMPLATE
Action: NHS and local authority chief executives and their colleagues can register for this free conference at the above link.

8. National children and adults services conference (NCAS) 
(Gateway reference number:18161) 
The Department of Health will have a stand (DH42) at this conference in Eastbourne, 24-26 October 2012. You will hear all about the latest issues, including reform of care and support, the Prime Minister’s challenge on dementia, and the development of health and wellbeing boards and Healthwatch. The Department is also running a range of interactive sessions during lunch and refreshment breaks.

Link: http://www.adass.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=761&Itemid=454
Action: NHS chief executives and colleagues involved in child and adult care services may wish to register for this conference at the above link.

9. Delivering a 7-day imaging service 
(Gateway reference number:18158)
This conference, taking place in London on 22 November 2012, focuses on delivering 7-day imaging services based on learning from case studies of those who have delivered this service in practice. Professor Erika Denton, national clinical director for imaging at the Department of Health, will give the opening presentation.

Link: http://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/7-day-imaging-radiology-training 
Action: NHS chief executives and their colleagues can download the brochure at the link above, or contact Kerry@healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk for further information. A 20 percent discount is available by quoting ref: hcuk20theweek when booking. 

10. Data quality and clinical coding for improvement
(Gateway reference number:18159)
This conference, taking place in London on 19 November 2012, will focus on the consequences of poor clinical coding, in particular the impact on trust finances and outlier positions, and highlight the importance of quality of information in clinical records. Dr Nick Booth, Director for Clinical Data Standards at the Informatics Directorate, Department of Health, will chair the event. 

Link: http://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/nhs-data-quality-clinical-coding-training
Action: NHS chief executives and their colleagues can download the brochure at the link above, or contact Kerry@healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk for further information. A 20 percent discount is available by quoting ref: hcuk20theweek when booking. 

11. PROMs summit 2012
(Gateway reference number:18160)
This summit, taking place in Manchester on 6 December 2012, will take an in-depth look at patient reported outcomes measures and patient reported experience measures (PREMs), including national and international developments and the future of PROMs and PREMs. Professor Nick Black from the Department of Health’s National PROMs Operation Board will chair the event.

Link: http://www.healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk/proms-training
Action: NHS chief executives and their colleagues can download the brochure at the link above, or contact Kerry@healthcareconferencesuk.co.uk for further information. A 20 per cent discount is available by quoting ref: hcuk20theweek when booking. 

i. what’s new
No news this week

ii. places still available
No news this week

Patient safety alerts

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has sent the NHS the latest medical device alerts in the link below. NHS Trusts are expected to take the specified action by the date given.

Link: www.mhra.gov.uk/Publications/Safetywarnings/MedicalDeviceAlerts/index.htm

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Unless otherwise stated, guidance referred to in the bulletin has not been commissioned or endorsed by the Department of Health – it is evidence that organisations and professionals may find helpful in improving practice. The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence is the Department's provider of accredited evidence and guidance, which can be found on the Institute's website at www.nice.org.uk