Improvements to the regulation of healthcare professionals

Measurements to improve the regulation and governance of healthcare professionals, providing greater reassurances for the public and professionals were set out in two reports published last week by the Department of Health.

Further details are here.

New complaints procedure from 1 April

From 1 April 2009, there will be a single approach to dealing with complaints about health and social care services. The new complaints procedure will be a requirement of services registered with the new regulator, the Care Quality Commission. The new complaints procedures are set out in Listening, responding, improving: a guide to better customer care, and its supporting documents, available here.

Guidance on NHS patients who wish to pay for additional private care

Following a 12 week consultation, from 4 November 2008 to 27 January 2009, the Department of Health has now published final guidance on NHS patients wishing to pay for additional private care, alongside a Government response to the consultation.

Read the guidance here.

Service standards published for inflammatory bowel disease

The IBD Standards Group has published the results of the second national audit of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and found that many services have improved. However, there still appears to be wide variation in the provision of care and many services have not improved at all. The service standards aim to ensure that patients with IBD receive healthcare that is safe, effective and of consistently high quality.

Download a copy of the service standards here.

NHS stop smoking services: service and monitoring guidance 2009/10

This document provides best practice guidance relevant to the provision of all NHS stop smoking interventions and sets out fundamental quality principles for the delivery of services which can be used to inform the development of local commissioning arrangements. It also includes full details of the data reporting requirements for NHS stop smoking services.

Download the document here.

Practice based commissioning (PBC) latest survey report

The DH have published the first quarterly PBC survey for 2009. The survey reflects practices' perceptions of the support offered by their PCT and the clinical and financial engagement of practices with PBC. Access the survey here.

PBC Connection

For more information and useful links for anyone involved in PBC visit the PBC connection on the NHS Networks website here.

New guidance published to support elements of the GMS contract

NHS Employers and the General Practitioners Committee have published joint full guidance to support the following sections of the general medical services (GMS) contract:

QOF guidance, 2009/10 - this is the full technical guidance that includes the agreed contract changes for 2009/10, as well as minor updates to guidance for existing indicators, to reflect current evidence.

DES guidance, 2008/09 - this guidance has details of audit requirements, including Read codes.

The QOF guidance is available here. The DES guidance is available here.

Briefing paper published on QOF indicator records 23

This is a briefing paper for PCT subscribers in respect of the revision of the rule set for QOF Indicator Records 23. The revision of the rule set has been released to system suppliers and will have been through GP system supplier compliance by the 23 March 2009.

Subscribers can download the briefing paper here.

QOF end of year process implications for indicators PE7 and PE8

The DH is running a national GP patient survey which includes the assessment of practice achievement of the patient experience access indicators in the QOF that cover 48 hour access and advance booking. The timescale of this survey has implications for how PCTs should manage the QOF end of year process.

A briefing is available to subscribers here.

Information sheets on using ACR to measure proteinuria for kidney disease

The Department of Health has published information sheets for GPs describing the use of the albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) to measure proteinuria, an indicator of kidney disease.

Download the documents here.

Response to QOF consultation published

An analysis of submissions to the consultation and the Government response has been published. The original consultation set out proposals for how a new, NICE led, independent process for reviewing and developing QOF indicators should work.

Read the analysis here

The original consultation document is here.

Applications roll in for NICE QOF advisory committee

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has received over 60 applications for positions on the primary care QOF indicator advisory committee that will review existing indicators and recommend new ones.

Read the news release on the NICE website here.

How to guide for world class commissioning in primary care - how to commission pharmaceutical services guide

This guide will be launched at the first regional world class commissioning event, in East of England on 31st March.

The guide is the latest in the "How to" series of commissioning guides to support improving Primary Care and Community Services and will be available from the DH website.

Further directions on the use of febuxostat

Further directions on the technology appraisal guidance relating to the use of febuxostat in the management of hyperuricaemia in patients with gout were published on 17 December 2008. Since NICE published the final guidance, the manufacturer has informed NICE that it is temporarily unable to make the drug available. On the basis of advice from NICE, Ministers have therefore agreed to waive the direction requiring NHS organisations to make funding available for NICE recommended treatments within three months of final guidance for this appraisal. The funding direction will be reinstated once the drug is available.

More information is here.

Dentists with special interests - call for case studies

The Faculty of General Dental Practice (UK) is organising a conference in the summer on dentists with special interests (DwSI), which will include case studies of schemes currently in operation. If you have DwSI schemes operating locally and would be prepared to share them as a case study at the conference, please contact ben.mcclelland@pcc.nhs.uk.

NHS dental services in England - patient information

Electronic copies of the patient leaflet, dental charges poster, and dental services poster are available to download here.

Boots Opticians Ltd/D&A merger: director checks now completed

PCC has been advised that fitness to practice checks have now been completed by NHS Nottingham City on all the future directors of Boots Opticians Professional Services Limited and D&A Professional Services Limited. PCTs may now proceed to issue to D&A and Boots Opticians the contracts which they have been holding. Thanks go to Claire Matthews and Dawn Smith of NHS Nottingham City for undertaking these FTP checks on behalf of all the English PCTs, but PCTs and SSAs are reminded that they should direct all queries arising from this to the PCC GOS helpdesk and not to NHS Nottingham City staff.

Directions on GOS contracts disputes

The Department of Health has published new directions relating to the functions of the Family Health Services Appeals Authority (FHSAA) and the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA) in relation to GOS contract disputes.

The directions are here.

GOC highlights 'grave consequences' of failing to declare convictions and cautions

The General Optical Council (GOC) is warning opticians of the dangers of failing to declare details of criminal convictions, cautions or disciplinary proceedings while registered. Optical performers need to declare new criminal convictions not only to the GOC but to their PCTs.

Further information is here.

NHS PCC is looking to expand its capacity of PCCAs by two WTE posts one in the north-east/Yorkshire & Humber and the other in the east of England/south east coastal areas. The former post may be offered on a permanent or fixed term/secondment and the latter on a fixed term or secondment for 12 months.

More information is available here.

Subscriber only events

Other

Event open to all

Event of the week: Social Enterprise

PCC will bring together people with experience of running social enterprises in primary and community care in London on 27 April. The point of the event, which is aimed primarily at members of the NHS Networks social enterprise network, is to share learning and increase understanding of what makes successful social enterprises, which strategies work and what pitfalls are to be avoided. For PCT commissioners, the event will provide valuable insights into the part played by social enterprises in primary care and their role in local health markets.

For more information or to reserve a place, visit PCC events.

March 2009

• 31st: South West Pharmacy Network Meeting - Holiday Inn Taunton, Taunton TA1 2UA
• 31st: East of England World Class Commissioning - De Vere University Arms, CB2 1AD

April 2009

• 1st: Integrated Care Programme - Learning Network launch - Guoman Tower, London E1W 1LD
• 3rd: North West Dental Event - Haydock Park Racecourse, Newton-le-Willows WA12 0HQ
• 7th: EoE: Community Pharmacy Commissioning network - Radisson SAS Hotel London Stansted Airport, Stansted CM24 1PP
• 8th: East Midlands World Class Commissioning - Nottingham Belfry, NG8 6PY
• 9th: West Midlands Region: Half-day Focus Group - Lunch + P.M. - Maple House, Birmingham, B4 6TB
• 9th: W Midlands Region: PC Leads Meeting - A.M.+ Lunch - Maple House, Birmingham, B4 6TB
• 21st: Commissioning Offender Health Care - Radisson Edwardian Manchester, Manchestetr M2 5GP
• 21st: SEC Regional QOF Event - Hilton Gatwick Airport, Crawley RH6 0LL
• 21st: By invitation only:South Central Performers List Event - Holiday Inn Southampton, Southampton
• 22nd: NHS London GOS Network - Regus City Point, London EC2Y 9HT
• 22nd: North West Primary Care Leads Meeting & Steering Group meeting - Stanley House, Lancashire BB2 7NP
• 23rd: EoE: Performer and Pharmaceutical List Management Day - Mercure Letchworth Hall Hotel, Letchworth, Hertfordshire SG6 3NP
• 23rd: W Midlands Region: QOF Leads Meeting - Osprey House, Redditch, Redditch B97 4DE
• 27th: NHS London; Equitable Access Programme Network Meeting - De-Vere West One, W1B 1PR
• 27th: Social Enterprise Network Learning Event - Business Design Centre, Islington, London N1 0QH

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