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Chief Executive Bulletin 19 - 25 January 2001
Issue 50

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Please click on this http://www.doh.gov.uk/cebulletin.htm for an on-line version of this bulletin which has hyper-text links to the individual publications contained in the Bulletin. Hard copy versions of these publications can be ordered from the NHS Responseline 0541 555 455.

Contents:

NHS and Social Care interest
1. HSC 2001/001/LAC (2001)1 Intermediate Care
2. The NHS Plan - Implementing the Performance Improvement Agenda.
A Policy Position Statement and Consultation Document
3. A new commitment to neighbourhood renewal - national strategy action plan is a far-reaching
4. National Treatment Agency For Substance Misuse: A Consultation Document

NHS interest
5. Call for Topics for NICE Appraisal
6. MET Office Workload Forecasts

Social Care interest
7. National Task Force Against Violence to Social Care Staff.

NHS / Social Care interest

1. HSC 2001/001/LAC (2001)1 Intermediate Care
This HSC/LAC sets out guidance on the development of new intermediate care services to be commissioned by the NHS and councils.
Action - Building on services already in place, Health Authorities, Primary Care Groups/Trusts, NHS Trusts and councils should apply the attached guidance in planning and developing new intermediate care services for 2001/02 and beyond.

Ref. 23149. Hard copies to be mailed to Chairs of Health Authorities, NHS Trusts, Primary care Groups, Primary care Trusts and Local Authorities 26/1/01.

Link to HSC 2001/001/ LAC (2001)1

2. The NHS Plan - Implementing the Performance Improvement Agenda.
A Policy Position Statement and Consultation Document

The document highlights developing thinking on the implementation of the performance improvement agenda, outlined in Chapter 6 of the NHS Plan. It also serves as a consultation document, giving an opportunity to feedback views.

The consultation paper reflects that current data is better developed for the acute sector. PCTs, Community and Mental Health organisations are specifically asked to make suggestions on what measures should be developed for these services.

The new performance improvement agenda is a key part of the NHS Plan to modernise health and social services. Chapter 6 of the NHS Plan sets out the Government's intention to move towards local ownership of targets and freedoms to innovate within a clear framework of accountability. Views are welcome on some of the practical details of implementation within the overall context of the agenda set out in the NHS Plan. In particular, this document invites views on

NHS Performance 'Traffic Lights'
Earned Autonomy measures
The NHS Performance Fund.
Responses are invited by 19 February 2001, to be sent (either in writing or by e-mail) to:

The NHS Performance Unit, Department of Health, Room 4W04 Quarry House, Quarry Hill, Leeds, LS2 7UE
e-mail: [log in to unmask]

http://www.doh.gov.uk/nhsperformance/consult.pdf

3. A new commitment to neighbourhood renewal - national strategy action plan is a far-reaching programme aimed at revitalising England's deprived neighbourhoods.

The National Strategy sets out, for the first time, a joined-up approach to tackling the main causes of health inequalities such as poor educational attainment, crime, unemployment and poor housing.

The NHS Plan commits the NHS to playing a full part in the Action Plan, and to helping to develop Local Strategic Partnerships to strengthen the links between the NHS and other partners interested in tackling the causes of social exclusion. The Action Plan provides a framework and focus for action that will enable the social, economic, cultural and environmental influences on health to be addressed in a co-ordinated way by the public, private and voluntary sectors in partnership with local communities.

http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/seu/index/national_strategy.htm

4. National Treatment Agency For Substance Misuse: A Consultation Document
The NTA, to be established in April, is a joint initiative of the Department and Health, the United Kingdom Anti-Drugs Co-ordination Unit and the Home Office, and will cover the health, social services and criminal justice aspects of substance misuse treatment in England (subject to consultation with the devolved administrations). The Agency will work towards the achievement of the Government's strategic aims for the treatment of drug misuse, and will be accountable to Ministers for this work. A copy of the consultation document is available at www.doh.gov.uk/nta. Requests for hard copies to be e-mailed to: [log in to unmask]

NHS interest

5. Call for Topics for NICE Appraisal
(Sent by e-mail 19 January 2001 to Medical and Nursing Directors in NHS Trusts, Directors of Public Health and CEs of Primary Care Groups and Primary Care Trusts

Ministers are keen to ensure that appraisals by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) address issues of real concern to the NHS. In the future NHS bodies will be able to propose topics at any time via the DH or NICE web-sites, but in the meantime we would welcome proposals, preferably by e-mail, for topics to be included in NICE's appraisals work programme. This request has been approved by the Review of Central Returns Steering Committee - ROCR.

NICE appraisals are intended to help improve the quality of patient care and the effective use of NHS resources by advising on the clinical and cost effectiveness of selected health-care interventions. These can be pharmaceuticals, devices or procedures, including those connected with health promotion. You are invited, in consultation with clinicians locally, to suggest topics for NICE. Topics might either result in significant improvements in patient care, or would help to make better use of resources, or would help resolve uncertainty over the appropriate use of particular interventions. All proposals will be assessed in collaboration with NICE and other experts against competing proposals, using the criteria set out on NICE's website at http://www.nice.org.uk/nice-web/Docref.asp?d=9084&c=155. The website also lists the existing appraisal programme at http://www.nice.org.uk/nice-web/Article.asp?a=389.

NHS organisations interested in submitting a proposal are invited in the first instance to contact Peter Burgin, preferably by e-mail [log in to unmask] or 'phone (0113-254 6301), giving where possible brief details of the proposed topic, clinical area, and rationale for referring to NICE. Mr Burgin will be able to provide further detail on the background to the request, on the selection process, and on the further information that may be needed to support proposals. Initial suggestions for items to be submitted to NICE in the Spring would need to be with us by Friday 9 February but we are happy to have proposals at any time after that date for future work programmes.

6. MET Office Workload Forecasts

WEST and the Met office are issuing twice weekly workload forecasts, which will bring together the following information:

Respiratory Disease and Flu Surveillance information
Existing workload
Weather information
There are two levels of information:

The workload forecasts will be in detail for a limited number of specific areas. These are piloting the detailed system for possible role out in the future.
Regional level forecasts
We expect all those involved in responding to winter demand both in trusts and primary care to use the information as part of the management data-set when planning their organisations continued response to winter pressures.

The forecasts can be obtained on the NHS web on the following address: nww.doh.nhsweb.nhs.uk/winter/forecasts/htm

Social Care Interest

7. National Task Force Against Violence to Social Care Staff.
The material has been prepared to enable employers, social care workers and service users:

to understand the issues around violence and abuse to social care staff,
to enable them to take action to significantly reduce it, and
to help them deal with the aftermath
The work of the Task Force has fallen into three areas:

Ensuring that the national frameworks that are evolving to develop and regulate social care take on board the necessity to include mechanisms to tackle violence and abuse to workers
The preparation of a 'toolkit' of research, policy, practice and procedural materials to assist employers, workers and service users in developing their local environment to significantly reduce the incidence of violence and abuse.
A series of awareness raising actions to ensure that the messages are heard and acted upon
http://www.doh.gov.uk/violencetaskforce/index.htm

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