CQC outlines quality approach for health and social care

The Care Quality Commission has published this report detailing how it plans to assess the provision and commissioning of health and adult social care in its first year. Building on the work of previous regulators, the commission is introducing an approach that assesses quality across health and social care as it moves towards a single registration system for providers of care in both sectors in 2010. The approach features both periodic and special reviews and draws attention to how the sectors of health, mental health and adult social care work together. There will also be indicators that measure the outcomes for people and their experience of care.

New guidance on end of life care

The National End of Life Care Programme has worked with Skills for Health and Skills for Care to outline the core skills and knowledge needed to help staff across health and social care respond with confidence when caring for people at the end of their lives. The guidance outlines the principles that underpin quality end of life care and groups skills into four sections: communications; assessment and care planning; symptom management and maintaining comfort; and advance care planning.

Guide to world-class commissioning competency 5

A guide to improving performance on world-class commissioning competency 5 is now available. Sponsored by the NHS Information Centre and supported by the Department of Health, the guide includes facts about PCT performance on competency 5 in last year's assessment round and best practice profiles of the PCTs who performed best on the competency.

With its focus on knowledge management and needs assessment, competency 5 underpins all 11 competencies within world-class commissioning and is the one primary care trusts need to master to deliver high quality services for local people.

Gary Belfield, director of commissioning, Department of Health said: "All PCTs can learn from the examples in this supplement. I hope it inspires commissioners to take innovative approaches to seeking out, analysing and acting on data, and improving health outcomes as a result."

A guide to practice based commissioners in developing good cancer care services

This document supports the Cancer Reform Strategy commitment to developing world-class commissioning of cancer services across the NHS. There will be a transition from central direction towards more locally driven improvement in cancer services and development of effective tools to support practice-based commissioners in providing world-class commissioning. This guidance is one of these tools and sits alongside the cancer commissioning guidance and toolkit providing a range of benchmarked information and data.

Tackling health inequalities: targeting routine and manual smokers

This guidance supports the achievement of the PSA smoking prevalence and health inequality 2010 targets. It aims to provide PCTs and local authorities with a firm rationale for targeting routine and manual smokers to help reduce smoking prevalence. Evaluation will occur during National Support Team field visits in addition to feedback from regional tobacco policy managers who will disseminate the guidance.

Transforming community services quality framework: guidance for community services

This guidance sets out how the seven elements of the quality framework apply in community services. It includes a set of proposed indicators of quality that will be developed and assured for publication. The Department of Health will be seeking views from interested stakeholders on these indicators.

Transforming community services: ambition, action, achievement

Six best practice guides have been launched to support NHS practitioners and clinical leaders to transform services locally and help empower local staff to lead on modernising community services. The guides cover six clinical and service areas including acute care closer to home, people with long-term conditions and end of life care.

The Marmot Review - strategic review of health inequalities

An interim report on the evidence and emerging themes of the independent strategic review of health inequalities post 2010, led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, has been published for consultation. Comments must be submitted by 5 August 2009.

Prison health IT programme: national roll-out

This letter from Offender Health and the National Offender Management Service announces that the roll-out of the first national clinical IT system for prisons across England will now commence across the country in June 2009.

Results of GP patient survey

The Department of Health has published the full results from the annual GP patient survey. The views expressed in the survey are a major influencing factor in driving forward the work of the Department and the NHS on improving access and responsiveness of GP practices.

A letter explaining the results has also been sent to SHAs and PCT chief executives.

Connecting for Health issues further guidance on PE7 & PE8

Connecting for Health has issued more detailed guidance on QMAS payments accruing from PE7 & PE8 indicators.

Clinical DES FAQs updated

NHS Employers has issued responses to frequently asked questions about the five clinical DES schemes introduced in April 2008.

GP guide to improving access

'Improving access, responding to patients: a how to guide for GP practices' brings together good practice in establishing patient-focused services, along with the benefits and drawbacks of different systems, services and approaches. The guide - which is sponsored by the DH - has been developed in partnership with the NHS Alliance, British Medical Association, National Association of Primary Care, Institute for Healthcare Management, AMSPAR, Royal College of General Practitioners and the Family Doctor Association.

It includes step-by-step support for practices in responding to the ever-growing needs and expectations of their patients. The NHS Practice Management Network will be sending out hard copies to all GP practices during July and August, with an interactive web-based version going live in the autumn.

Download the guide from Thursday 2 July from www.networks.nhs.uk/practicemanagement.

Medical appraisal for revalidation

The revalidation support team has developed self-assessment tools for organisations to check their readiness for the introduction of revalidation in 2010. The tools will be used in all NHS organisations. SHAs are coordinating the project and facilitating development work.

List of home PCTs for pharmacy bodies corporate

The list of home PCTs for pharmacy bodies corporate has been updated. Future updates to the list should be submitted via NHS PCC's pharmacy helpdesk (log-in required).

Building Foundations pharmacy event feedback

In April, NHS PCC piloted a national Building Foundations event in the East of England which looked at the management of performer and pharmaceutical lists and the management of individual practitioner performance issues. The event rated highly, particularly for the opportunity to share case studies. If you feel your region would benefit from a similar event, please contact your local PCCA.

Refresh of DH demand estimates - deadline for return 10 July

All PCTs will have recently received an updated version of the dental access toolkit (DC01) originally sent out in October 2008. Using Vital Signs data, it has been designed to refresh the information on PCTs original estimated demand. It is also a useful management information tool that lets you map current performance and plot trajectory to reach access targets for 2011. This is shown both in terms of UDAs commissioned and numbers of patients accessing services.

Workbooks have been sent out with each toolkit so that PCTs can create and submit a monthly trajectory for the numbers of patients seen by dental services over a rolling 24-month period. Completed workbooks need to be sent back by 10 July to: dental.services@dh.gsi.gov.uk.

Further information on completion is available on UNIFY. For toolkit and definitional queries please contact: dental.services@dh.gsi.gov.uk. For any other queries relating to dental performance management please contact your SHA.

New dental access programme handbook

NHS PCC is working on a new dental access programme handbook for PCT dental commissioners and their support teams. The handbook sets out the monthly steps required and the quality-assured information available to support all aspects of tactical commissioning for improved access to NHS dentistry. All the recommendations reflect world-class competencies and take account of the findings of the Steele review.

Dental access programme workshop 1 series now completed

Workshop 1 of the procurement training series has now been completed by 90% of PCTs. As part of this series, all PCTs were given two mapping tools produced by NHS Dental Services. Designed to be visual aids that complement local knowledge, the main aim of these tools is to help PCTs assess where they currently have services and to flag up areas where there may a requirement for enhanced or new services.

For further information, contact Heather Deacon at NHS Dental Services by email at hdeacon@dpb.nhs.uk or by phone on: 01323 433307.

The first event in the workshop 2 series, which focuses on the memorandum of information (MOI) and pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) process and evaluation, took place in London last month. Events in other SHA regions take place throughout July. Details of the other events are as follows:

• South West SHA - 8 July 2009
• East Midlands SHA - 14 July 2009
• South Central SHA - 15 July 2009
• South East Coast SHA - 22 July 2009
• East of England SHA - To be confirmed

SHA access events

NHS PCC is also planning a series of half day SHA access events in September. The objective will be to enable SHAs to understand both their national and individual position in depth. The agenda will incorporate a summary review of each PCT in the region for both 2009/10, and for previous years in the context of national policy. Individual SHA diagnostic sessions will also take place to support the SHA's action plan, and this will include a session on patient-facing communications.

Your advertising experiences wanted

NHS PCC is currently developing a range of communications support materials to help with promoting local NHS dental services and changing public perceptions. As part of this programme, we want to give PCTs the opportunity to share ideas that really work. If you have run such a project, can demonstrate that it worked and how you evaluated it, please contact linda.joy@pcc.nhs.uk.

Optometrists learn more about people with learning disabilities

Well over a million people in the UK have some level of learning disability. Even though people with learning disabilities are more likely to have problems with their eyesight, many struggle to access the eye care they need. SeeAbility, Healthcall Optical and Replay Learning have teamed up to produce a continuing education pack for optometrists.

The pack has practical advice for practitioners as well as information about learning disabilities. It looks at how to address some of the issues people may have when visiting an optical practice, such as anxiety about an unfamiliar location. Optometrists can get tips on communicating with people with learning disabilities, and find out about the pre-examination questionnaire, a useful tool developed by SeeAbility. The pack also offers guidance on communicating during the eye examination, and using pictures and sign language. Further information is available online.

Practise Based Commissioning Locality Manager - NHS Hampshire

Subscriber only events

Other

Event open to all NHS

July 2009

• 2nd: EM: World Class Commissioning - Village Nottingham, NG9 6DL
• 2nd: London: GOS Network - Hilton Kensington, W11 4UL
• 3rd: WM: Workshop led by Mark Wilson (Whole System Reform & Medical Services Contract Management) - Lakeside Centre, Aston Business School, Birmingham B4 7ET
• 6th: NW: GOS Network Meeting - City Inn, Manchester, M1 3DG
• 6th: SEC: World Class Commissioning - Sofitel London Gatwick, RH6 0PH
• 6th: Leeds: WCC Best Practice: Engagement & Investment Prioritisation - Hilton Leeds, LS1 4BX
• 7th: Building Foundations Towards World Class Commissioning for Primary Care - Pharmacy Level 2 - York Racecourse, YO23 1EX
• 8th: EoE Regional Dental Network - Hilton Stansted Airport, CM24 1SF
• 8th: Bristol: WCC Best Practice: Assessing Needs & High Quality Services - The Grand (formerly Thistle Bristol), Bristol BS1 2EL
• 8th: EM; Eye Care Network - Holiday Inn Derby / Nottingham, NG10 5NJ
• 8th: YH & NE: QOF Changes 2009/10 - Park Inn York, YO1 6JF
• 8th: SW: Dental Access Programme Workshop 2 - Sandy Park Conference Centre, Exeter EX2 7NN
• 9th: WM: Primary Care Leads Meeting - Maple House, Birmingham B4 6TB
• 9th: WCC Competencies - Personal Development Awareness (South) - Hilton Kensington, W11 4UL
• 9th: WM: EAPC Meeting - Maple House, Birmingham B4 6TB
• 10th: North: Equitable Access to Primary Medical Care Lessons Learned Event - Hilton Leeds, LS1 4BX
• 14th: NW Primary Care Finance Leads Meeting - Macdonald Tickled Trout Hotel, Preston PR5 0UJ
• 14th: EM: Dental Access Programme Workshop 2 - Park Plaza Nottingham, NG1 6GD
• 15th: SEC: Dental Leads Meeting - Stanhill Court, Surrey RH6 0EP
• 15th: EoE: Community Pharmacy Commissioning leads network - Radisson Stansted Airport, CM24 1PP
• 15th: WCC Competencies - Personal Development Awareness (North) - Park Plaza, Leeds, LS1 5NS
• 15th: London: WCC Best Practice: Market Development & Management - Guoman Tower, London E1W 1LD
• 15th: SC: Dental Access Programme Workshop 2 - Shaw House, Newbury RG14 2DR
• 16th: Birmingham: WCC Best Practice: Excellence in Governance - Holiday Inn Birmingham City Centre, B5 4EW
• 16th: EM: Dental Network - Holiday Inn Sandiacre, NG10 5NJ
• 16th: South Equitable Access to Primary Medical Care Lessons Learned Event - Riverbank Park Plaza, London
• 16th: EM: Payments On-line Training (PM + Lunch) - Holiday Inn Sandiacre, NG10 5NJ
• 17th: SW: World Class Commissioning for Primary Care Services - Cleve Hotel & Country Club, Wellington TA21 8SN
• 20th: WM: Dental Access Programme Workshop 2 - Crowne Plaza Birmingham, B1 1HH
• 21st: WM: Pharmacy Network Meeting - The Studio, Birmingham B2 5EP
• 21st: NW: Dental Access Programme Workshop 2 - Crowne Plaza Manchester, M4 4AF
• 22nd: SEC: Dental Access Programme Workshop 2 - Sofitel London Gatwick, RH6 0PH
• 23rd: EM; QOF Network - Holiday Inn Derby / Nottingham, NG10 5NJ
• 23rd: YH: Primary Care Policy Leads Network (Inc Lunch) - Holiday Inn Wakefield, WF5 9BE
• 23rd: YH: Primary Care Pharmacy Network (Inc Lunch) - Holiday Inn Wakefield, WF5 9BE
• 24th: London: GP Premises Forum - Hallam Hotel, London W1N 5LF
• 28th: WM: Dental Leads Meeting - Crowne Plaza Birmingham, B1 1HH

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