World class commissioning regional events planned for spring

NHS PCC is working with the DH to finalise a series of regional events on world class commissioning in primary care. It is intended that there will be an event in every SHA area and each event will be designed to best meet the requirements of each region. The events will start in March and it is anticipated the series will be completed by May. Further details will be provided in future editions of this newsletter.

Working time directive - update on derogation

The Department of Health has advised ministers that the UK should ask the EU Commission to allow individual health services in exceptional circumstances (eg for patient safety reasons) derogation from the European Working Time Directive (EWTD). There is no guarantee that the EU Commission will agree to this approach and employers need to continue to seek to achieve EWTD compliance by August 2009.

Read the full report from NHS Employers here.

Centre of Excellence report

The Department of Health last week announced the new Centre of Excellence that aims to help local NHS organisations deliver better and more efficient workforce planning. NHS Employers supports the creation of the centre. The King's Fund report provides a useful framework for implementation.

Provision of adult balance services: a good practice guide

This document provides good practice and evidence to help commissioners and service providers to make changes to the way that adult balance services are delivered, and in particular to reduce waiting times for patients with the most common hearing difficulties.

PwSI guidance: 18 new and updated documents available

A series of guides for Practitioners with Special Interests in general practice and pharmacy is now available.

Guidance and competencies for the provision of services using Practitioners with Special Interests (PwSIs) comprises 18 mainly new or updated guides covering a range of PwSI specialisms from anticoagulation therapy to substance misuse. Further guides are expected to appear shortly. The series complements the introductory series already available from the Department of Health entitled Implementing care closer to home: convenient quality care for patients. Both sets of documents are available here.

National dementia strategy

The first ever National Dementia Strategy is a landmark document that will transform the quality of dementia care. It sets out initiatives designed to make the lives of people with dementia, their carers and families better and more fulfilled.

More information is available here.

SFE directions enabling new clinical DES payments published

The Statement of Financial Entitlements (Amendment) Directions 2009 has been signed, enabling the introduction of payment mechanisms for five new clinical directed enhanced services relating to alcohol (new section 7H), ethnicity and first language recording (new section 7I), learning difficulties (new section 7J), heart failure (new section 7K) and osteoporosis (new section 7L). There are also minor changes to some definitions in Annex A of the Statement of Financial Entitlements.

These amending directions need to be read in conjunction with the Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) (Amendment) (England) Directions 2009.

Detailed guidance will be published by NHS Employers. Further documents including FAQs will be published shortly on the NHS PCC website.

Download the Statement of Financial Entitlements (Amendment) Directions 2009 here.

Primary Medical Services (Directed Enhanced Services) (Amendment) (England) Directions 2009 is available here.

Benchmarking primary care medical services - one week to go

NHS PCC's collaborative project with the NHS Benchmarking Network is going well with a high level of interest from PCTs. Many PCTs are collecting data and using the national telephone helpline service on 0161 266 2046, where they can access support and guidance on data interpretation and collection. We have also updated the Q&A to reflect questions received in the last week.

The Q&A is here.

Briefing paper on pharmacy applications and PCT oral hearings

PCTs may hold oral hearings to consider applications for new pharmacies. This paper outlines the provisions within the NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005 and provides PCT with a procedure based on good practice.

Download the briefing paper here.

NHS prescribing and dispensing newsletter - February issue available online now

The February edition of the NHSBSA's quarterly newsletter, Impact, has just been published. This edition covers changes to pharmacy contractors submission document, the new arrangements for cancer patients, hints and tips, as well as the regular prescribing review report, which is on prescribing of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

Impact is available here.

NHS PCC briefing note: PDS to GDS transfers

Regulation 21 (Part 6) of the PDS regulations gives contractors the right to transfer from working under a PDS agreement to a GDS contract. For a number of reasons, PCTs have seen an increase in the number of contractors exercising this right. This briefing note deals with some common queries from PCTs about these contract transfers.

The briefing note is available here.

Dental national decontamination survey

This letter from Barry Cockcroft, chief dental officer for England, highlights a national survey the department is undertaking which looks at how the current quality of decontamination of surgical instruments in primary care dental services can be improved.

Read the letter here.

GDC outlines who can do what in the dental team

The General Dental Council has published new guidance on the scope of practice, describing who can do what in the dental team.

The guidance sets out the skills and abilities for dental nurses, orthodontic therapists, dental hygienists, dental therapists, dental technicians, dentists and clinical dental technicians (CDTs), describing what each member of the team is trained in and competent to do.

The new guidance (Scope of Practice - who can do what in the dental team) will be sent to all registrants at the end of January and is also available in the publications section of the GDC website.

Proposed Merger of Boots Opticians and Dollond & Aitchison

As has been widely reported, Boots Opticians and Dollond & Aitchison are to merge to create the second largest optical chain in the UK and the largest chain to be directly owned by a single legal entity. The combined business will have around 690 branches, including 210 franchises.

PCTs will be receiving contract applications from the newly merged company which will trade as Boots Opticians, and will need to issue new contracts for all except the franchised branches. Contract variations will not provide an appropriate means of dealing with the merger. NHS PCC is working with the optical trade associations to try to cut out any unnecessary work on both sides.

Further details will appear in New@PCC.

NHS Information Centre launches new flyers

The NHS Information Centre has produced new Eye Care Overview SHA flyers. These contain a summary of the key results from our latest eye care publications for each SHA and allow comparisons to be made with national averages.

More information is available here.

North West QOF leads network meeting

The North West QOF leads network meeting has been rescheduled for 25 February. This network event has been organised for the North West QOF leads as a follow up network meeting as requested at the PCC summer QOF events. Leads will have an opportunity to review the changes for QOF for 2009/10, discuss end of year processes and look at robust processes for reviewing exception reporting and prevalence.

Senior Information Analysts (Primary Care) (Band 7) - The NHS Information Centre for Health & Social Care

Subscriber only events

Other

Event open to all

February 2009

• 10th: The New NHS Standard Contract: Mental Health and Community Contracts Implementation Workshops - Mercure London Gatwick Hotel, Gatwick RH6 0BE
• 11th: Draft Pharmacy Order 2009 Consultation Event (Professionals, Patients and Public) - Edinburgh Marriott Hotel, Edinburgh EH12 8NF
• 11th: W Midlands Region: Dental Monitoring Event - The Studio, Birmingham,
• 12th: 'New Commissioning Guidance for Urological and Skin Conditions: Providing Quality Care Closer to Home' - London event - Business Design Centre, Islington, London N1 0QH
• 12th: The New NHS Standard Contract: Mental Health and Community Contracts Implementation Workshops - Hilton London Metropole, London W2 1JU
• 12th: Equitable Access To Primary Medical Care - Workshop 3 - Hilton London Metropole, London W2 1JU
• 13th: W Midlands Region: Community Pharmacy Control of Entry Workshop - The Studio, Birmingham,
• 13th: South West Dental Network Event - Lyngford House, Taunton TA2 8HD
• 17th: South West Eyecare Network Meeting - The Cleve Hotel & Country Club, Wellington TA21 8SN
• 18th: The New NHS Standard Contract: Mental Health and Community Contracts Implementation Workshops - Birmingham City Football Club,
• 18th: W Midlands Region: QOF Business Rules - The Studio, Birmingham,
• 23rd: By Invitation Only: NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney and Norfolk and Suffolk LDCs - Dental Overview Event with the Chief Dental Officer - Barry Cockcroft - The Carlton Manor Hotel, Lowestoft, Suffolk NR33 8BL
• 24th: Draft Pharmacy Order 2009 Consultation Event (Patients and Public) - Holiday Inn London Bloomsbury, WC1N 1HT
• 25th: Draft Pharmacy Order 2009 Consultation Event (Professionals, Patients and Public) - Mercure Holland House Hotel, Cardiff CF24 0DD
• 25th: World Class Commissioning: Evaluating Commissioning Assurance System - Hilton London Metropole, London W2 1JU
• 25th: E Midlands Region: Dental Network Meeting - Allocation TBC,
• 27th: South Central Eyecare Monitoring Network Meeting - Shaw House, Newbury RG14 2DR

For further event dates please see www.pcc.nhs.uk/events