Be active, be healthy: a plan for getting the nation moving

This publication establishes a new framework for the delivery of physical activity alongside sport for the period leading up to the London 2012 Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games and beyond. Programmes outlined in the plan will contribute to the government's ambition of getting 2 million more people active by 2012 and have been designed to leave a lasting legacy from the games. The report also sets out new ideas for local authorities and PCTs to help determine and respond to the needs of their local populations as well as delivering overall cost savings.

The paper is available here.

The legal aspects of the care and treatment of children and young people with mental disorder: a guide for health professionals

This report provides guidance about how to provide mental healthcare for children and young adults within the legal and policy framework.

Download the report here.

Post-2010 strategic review of health inequalities

Health Inequalities: Progress and Next Steps (2008) set out what will be done to sustain a focus on health inequalities beyond the life of the 2010 national health inequalities target. It recognised the success of the cross government strategy Programme for Action (2003) in creating momentum and innovation to reduce health inequalities. With the right tools and levers, evidence and learning in place, there is now the opportunity to build on this work into the next decade.

Further information is here.

NICE publishes six new commissioning guides

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published six new commissioning guides to help the NHS in England effectively commission evidence-based care for patients. The guides cover services for:

• otitis media with effusion
• patient education for people with type 2 diabetes
• diagnosis and initial management of stroke
• diagnosis and initial management of transient ischaemic attack
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults and young people in transition
• insulin pump therapy.

Each commissioning guide signposts and provides topic-specific information on key clinical and service-related issues to consider during the commissioning process. They also offer an indicative benchmark of activity to help primary care trust and practice-based commissioners determine the level of service needed locally. The guides come with interactive commissioning tools allowing local comparisons against the benchmark and cost estimates for commissioning intentions.

Access the guides here.

Commissioning healthcare in prisons

This report gives findings from the inspections of prisons during 2007/08 relating to the delivery of healthcare and the management of substance misuse. It gives recommendations for PCTs on how to improve services.

The report is available here.

Guidance on working with the third sector

The National Association for Voluntary and Community Action has published guidance for commissioning, designed to facilitate better working relationships between commissioners of services in national and local public sector bodies and third-sector organisations.

The guidance is here.

Securing better health for children and young people through world class commissioning

This guide aims to support commissioners in delivering the vision set out in the Healthy Lives, Brighter Futures child health strategy by using the world class commissioning competencies and aligning the commissioning cycles across agencies.

Download the guide here.

Deadline looms for data submission to benchmarking programme

Submissions to the primary medical care benchmarking programme run by PCC and the NHS Benchmarking Network are due today. Forty PCTs have submitted their data, while many more have agreed to participate. Respondents are reminded that partial submissions will be accepted. For last-minute queries, contact Steve Watkins on 0161 266 2046 or by email on s.watkins@nhs.net.

Royal Pharmaceutical Society publishes safe use of medicines paper

The RPSGB has published a paper: The Contribution of Pharmacy to Making Britain a Safer Place to Take Medicines.

Access the paper on the RPSGB website here.

RPSGB creates a new award for a significant contribution to medicines safety

There were a number of provisions relevant to pharmacy featured in the Health Bill published on 16 January. These included the development of pharmaceutical needs assessment. A series of Q&As is available on the DH website here.

The Health Bill Pharmacy Provisions Stakeholder Briefing is here.

Practice framework defines role of new pharmacists

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain has published a framework that defines the core roles expected of a newly qualified pharmacist and aims to demonstrate their contribution to health and health care delivery.

Read the press release here.

The framework is available here.

Support for NMP's non-technical skills

Non-medical prescribers (NMPs) are set to benefit from a new resource designed to help them develop their non-technical skills. The Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE) is producing a package intended for use by those at all stages of NMP qualification.

Non-technical or soft skills are a combination of cognitive abilities such as decision making and social skills such as leadership. They complement knowledge and technical skills and contribute to safer working practice. Good use of non-technical skills in healthcare is important in day-to-day performance as well as in clinical emergencies.

Rural pharmacy network established

A network to reflect the interests of pharmacies with rural populations has been registered with NHS Networks.

For more information about the Rural Pharmacy Network: www.networks.nhs.uk/ruralpharmacy

Review of NHS dental services: call for participation

The independent dental review team is seeking views of commissioners about what helps and hinders good commissioning of dental services.

The review team would like to discuss the issues with a small group of practitioners who have experience of commissioning dental services for their populations. We are particularly keen to hear about examples of good practice or attempts to address the quality agenda through imaginative commissioning.

Read the full story here.

To share your experiences with the dental review team, contact tom.wilson@miltonkeynes.nhs.uk no later than Friday 28 February.

NHS dental statistics for England, Q2 2008

The NHS Information Centre publishes this report on 26 Feb 2009, and will issue a press release. The report and its annexes includes information at SHA/PCT level. The report will be available in the next issue of New@PCC.

Faculty issues revised orthodontic guideline

The Faculty of Dental Surgery earlier this month issued a revised version of its guideline on orthodontic retention.

Read it here.

Independent commission established to examine local commissioning of oral healthcare

The BDA has set up an independent commission to examine the commissioning of oral healthcare in England and Wales. The group, which will be chaired by Professor Chris Drinkwater, president of the NHS Alliance, is expected to develop a framework for excellence in dental commissioning, consider the implications of the NHS Next Stage Review for dental services and explore better integration of dentistry into primary and secondary care services. The project, which is expected to publish its final report in the summer of 2010, will include an audit of commissioning currently being undertaken by primary care trusts, an analysis of commissioning models and the production of a contracting toolkit.

More information is available here.

Boots Opticians and D&A merger: streamlined contracting process

As we reported in New@PCC issue 147, Boots Opticians and Dollond & Aitchison are to merge. NHS PCC has held discussions with Boots and D&A to identify an appropriate streamlined process which is detailed in the briefing note here. PCTs and shared services agencies are asked to follow this process with particular emphasis on the timescales they need to achieve.

General ophthalmic services: activity statistics for England and Wales, April to September 2008

The NHS Information Centre will publish this report on 26 Feb 2009. It includes information at PCT/LHB level.

The NHS Information Centre recently produced flyers listing key results from recent annual eye care publications for each strategic health authority, and allowing comparisons with national averages. They are available at: www.ic.nhs.uk/eyecareflyers

GOC warns practices to renew registration or face fine

The General Optical Council (GOC) has issued an urgent reminder to full and business registrants to renew their registration for 2009-10 by 15 March 2009, or face a £20 penalty.

The £20 late application charge applies to registrants who return their retention form and £219 fee after the 15 March, but before 31 March. Registrants who have not renewed their registration by 31 March will be removed from the GOC's registers on 1 April. A list of removed registrants will be published on the Council's website, and copies sent to primary care organisations.

When the GOC issues its list of removed registrants and sends copies to primary care organisations in April 2009, PCTs or their SHAs will need to check the optometrists removed from the GOC register against their ophthalmic performers' lists.

A longer version of this story is available on the GOC website, here.

GP patient survey and QOF year end

PCTs will know that the new GP patient survey launched on 5 January 2009 contains two QOF indicators: PE7 and PE8. As the results of the survey will not be available until May 2009, PCTs now have until the end of June 2009 until payments fall due.

Section 5 of the guidance reminds practices and PCTs not to sign off year-end achievement reports until PCTs have entered results for PE7 and PE8. However, it does refer to PCTs' freedom to make off-system payments before the results are known if this is considered beneficial to patient services.

PCT QOF leads can find the guidance here.

Network set up to develop indicators for practices with unusual populations

Following our appeal for PCTs interested in developing quality indicators that reflect the profile of their local populations, NHS PCC has set-up a network with NHS Networks.

Further information is available here: www.networks.nhs.uk/unusualpopulations

Optometry Advisor, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly PCT

Ref: 741-09-0180

Subscriber only events

Other

Event open to all

February 2009

• 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: Rescheduled: North West QOF Leads Network Meeting - Macdonald Tickled Trout Hotel, Preston PR5 0UJ
• 25th: World Class Commissioning: Evaluating Commissioning Assurance System - Hilton London Metropole, London W2 1JU
• 25th: E Midlands Region: Dental Network Meeting - Ramada Loughborough, Loughborough LE11 2QL
• 26th: Yorkshire & Humber Dental Contracting Event - Ramada Encore Barnsley,
• 26th: EoE Steering Group - Great Hallingbury Manor Hotel, Bishop's Stortford CM227TJ
• 26th: EoE Primary Care Commissioning Leads meeting - Great Hallingbury Manor Hotel, Bishop's Stortford CM227TJ
• 27th: South Central Eyecare Monitoring Network Meeting - Shaw House, Newbury RG14 2DR

March 2009

• 5th: Bedfordshire & Luton Oral Health Strategy and Commissioning Group - Flitwick Manor, Flitwick MK45 1AE
• 5th - 6th: 2 Day National Conference for Nurses & Health Visitors Working with Asylum Seekers & Refugees - Park Inn York, York YO1 6JF
• 5th: Equitable Access To Primary Medical Care - Workshop 3 Re-Run - New Kings Beam House, London,
• 5th: E Midlands Region: QOF Leads Meeting - Allocation TBC,
• 6th: Yorkshire & Humber Focus Group - Holiday Inn Wakefield, Wakefield WF5 9BE
• 10th: NHS London: Building Foundations for World Class Commissioning for Primary Care - Pharmacy - Hilton London Metropole, London W2 1JU
• 10th: N E Essex PCT - Tendring CCG Practice Shutdown Event - Marks Tey Hotel,

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