CQC will face 'tricky decisions' on failing services

The Care Quality Commission has some "tricky decisions" ahead on using its powers to shut down failing services, its chair has admitted.

The CQC has the power to suspend and ultimately close services that repeatedly fail to meet the quality requirements necessary to join its register, which trusts will be required to legally sign up to from April next year. Full text of this story is on the HSJ website.

Response to the consultation on draft regulations for the framework for the registration of health and adult social care providers

In spring 2009, the Department of Health consulted on a set of draft regulations, which set out the detail of a new registration system to be operated by the Care Quality Commission. This document provides the response to the consultation.

South West contract management workshop

This workshop has the following aims:

• To provide a strategic overview and detailed discussion of the PCT powers and responsibilities in respect of contract management using local and national examples
• To assist development of the annual medical contract review process and supporting documentation
• To provide an insight into quick wins for PCTs using the PCCS application
• To review benchmarking data specifically related to South West PCTs

Further details of the event on 11 November in Wellington, Somerset, can be found on the events pages of the NHS PCC website.

Delivering world class accessible and responsive general medical care services for patients

This event aims to support PCTs in tackling some of the key challenges that continue to face patients, providers and commissioners alike.

The event will help PCT teams to:

• Achieve improved patient access and responsiveness through effective commissioning
• Recognise and use different contract levers to improve performance
• Understand the importance of effective patient engagement to identify best practice and address poor patient experience
• Learn from PCT and SHA colleagues on how the tools and lessons learned can be applied to make a real difference

Further information on the events is available on the events pages of the PCC website:

• 27 November - York
• 3 December - Bristol
• 4 December - London
• 7 December - Birmingham

North-west WCC of primary care and community services

This event in Bolton on 24 November will focus on world class commissioning to improve patient care in primary and community settings. Workshops include a review of the 'transforming community services' agenda - how this supports integrated models of care, and the use of knowledge management in making better informed commissioning decisions.

The event is aimed at directors and assistant directors of commissioning; primary care and PBC leads and medical directors.

Healthy Child Programme: from 5 to 19 years old

The Healthy Child Programme sets out the recommended framework of universal and progressive services for children and young people to promote optimal health and wellbeing. This document outlines suggested roles and responsibilities for commissioners, health, education, local authority and other partners to encourage the development of high-quality services.

PCSF for personalised care planning

A new outline specification for personalised care planning is now available. It differs from other primary care service frameworks published by NHS PCC because personalised care planning is more about an approach to service delivery than the services themselves. The outline specification aims to help PCTs to develop their local thinking and approach, and work with providers to change existing ways of working, rather than commission additional services.

Swine flu DES now available

The Directed Enhanced Services (DES) and Statement of Financial Entitlements for pandemic flu vaccination are now available from the DH website.

Further useful resources are available from NHS Employers' pandemic flu pages including:

• Implementation guidance for JCV1 priority groups
• FAQs covering the swine flu agreement
• Costing methodology - pandemic flu
• Principles for practice payments

H1N1 DES clarification: PE7 and PE8 threshold easement

In order to qualify for PE7 and PE8 threshold easement, the contractor must achieve more than 50.7% of the target group.

The concept that the contractor must achieve 3% more than their 2008/09 flu achievement level is not applicable.

By achieving more than 50.7% the contractor will have achieved 3% more than the UK national average flu vaccination achievement for last year which was 47.7%.

Practice managers urged to shape new QMAS

PCTs are being urged to encourage general medical practice managers to take part in the feedback programme for the forthcoming major upgrade of QMAS, the practice reporting system. Background to the programme and a survey form allowing practice managers to take part are available from the website of the newly formed Practice Management Network at www.practicemanagement.org.uk. (Note: resources on the site are only available to practice managers.)

Quality and Outcomes Framework exception reporting 2008/09

The Information Centre has published exception reporting data for 2008/09. The QOF allows practices to exception-report (exclude) specific patients from data collected to calculate achievement scores.

Patients can be exception-reported from individual indicators if, for example, they do not attend appointments or where the treatment is judged to be inappropriate by the GP (such as medication cannot be prescribed due to side-effects).

Stock Management System training manuals

The Stock Management System (SMS) provides users with an effective tool to manage the distribution of antivirals to PCTs and collection points in the event of a pandemic. It will provide stock level information, reports and the ability to record issuance from GP prescribed antiviral information. These training manuals are to provide guidance to users of the SMS for antivirals.

Warning over dangers of buying prescription medicines online

Research reveals how people are jeopardising their health by avoiding healthcare professionals and purchasing medicine from illicit online sources.

More than one in seven British adults surveyed (15%) admitted bypassing the healthcare system to get hold of prescription only medicine, a practice which 78% of GPs surveyed say is putting people's health and potentially their lives at risk.

Dental access programme SHA event

The aim of this event for SHA leads is to explore key issues affecting the ability of PCTs to deliver the access agenda and to improve SHA support for PCTs through shared learning.

The event, in London on 9 December, is for SHA representatives, SHA dental access programme leads, dental finance managers, primary care leads, dental leads and those involved in producing dental statistics.

BDA publishes oral health inequalities report

The BDA has published its Oral Health Inequalities Policy, a report highlighting the link between socio-economic status and oral health.

Mouth Cancer Action Month gets under way

Mouth Cancer Action Month, launched last week, runs for the whole of November and reaches all UK dental practices, pharmacies and other outlets.

AOP stands firm on glaucoma guidelines

The Association of Optometrists (AOP) has reiterated its advice on the NICE glaucoma guidelines as a result of rumours that it would change the advice in November and referral rates would return to pre-NICE levels. Full story from Optician Online.

Primary Care Pharmacist - NHS Leeds

More information

Subscriber only events

Other

Event open to all NHS

November 2009

• 5th: WM: Analytical Skills Workshop - Clarendon Suites, Birmingham B16 9SB
• 5th: EoE: NHS PCC Steering Group and Primary Care Commissioning Leads meetings - Great Hallingbury Manor, Bishop's Stortford CM227TJ
• 5th: EoE: Primary Care Commissioning and Primary Care Contracting leads - Great Hallingbury Manor, Bishop's Stortford CM227TJ
• 11th: Building Foundations for World Class Commissioning of Primary Care: QOF Level 1 - Park Inn Russell Square, London WC1B 4BH
• 11th: SW: Contract management event - Cleve Hotel & Country Club, Somerset TA21 8SN
• 11th: SC: Primary Care Leads and World Class Commissioning Workshop - Shaw House, Newbury RG14 2DR
• 12th: EM: Contract Management Workshop (+ Lunch) - Park Inn Nottingham, NG5 2BT
• 12th: LDN: North East Primary Care Leads Network - Bonhill House, London EC2A 4BX
• 12th: LDN: North Central Primary Care Leads Network - Friends House, London NW1 2BJ
• 13th: WM: Working Group for Annual Medical Services Contract Review - Holiday Inn Express Redditch, B97 6AE
• 18th: EoE: Regional Dental Network - Hilton Stansted Airport, CM24 1SF
• 18th: SW: Dental Network workshop - Lyngford House Conference Centre, Taunton, Somerset TA2 8HD
• 19th: WM: Pharmacy Leads Network - Clarendon Suites, Birmingham B16 9SB
• 19th: SEC:Community Pharmacy Services - Strategic Network Meeting - Mercure London Gatwick Hotel, Gatwick RH6 0BE
• 19th: LDN: North West Primary Care Leads Network - Friends House, London NW1 2BJ
• 20th: WM: Building Foundations for World Class Commissioning: Dental Level 1 - Holiday Inn Bromsgrove, Bromsgrove B61 9AB
• 24th: NW World Class Commissioning of Primary & Community Care Services - Mercure Last Drop Village Hotel & Spa Bolton, Bolton BL7 9PZ
• 24th: Building Foundations for World Class Commissioning of Primary Care: Pharmacy Level 2 - Thistle Kingsley, London WC1A 2SD
• 25th: LDN: QOF Assessor Training - Thistle Grosvenor, London SW1W 0SJ
• 26th: YH: Primary Care Policy Leads and Pharmacy Network meetings - Holiday Inn Wakefield, WF5 9BE
• 26th: LDN: Finance Network - Friends House, London NW1 2BJ
• 26th: WM: Building Foundations for World Class Commissioning: Dental Level 1 - Holiday Inn Stoke-on-Trent, ST5 4DL
• 26th: EM: Primary Care Quality Network - Springfield House Business and Conference Centre, Grantham NG31 7BG
• 27th: SW : World Class Commissioning of Pharmaceutical Services in the South West - South West House, Taunton TA1 2PX
• 27th: Delivering world class accessible and responsive general medical care services for patients - Park Inn York, YO1 6JF
• 30th: Help us help you to breathe more easily - Thorpe Park Hotel, Leeds LS15 8ZB

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

Other events

Good practice in shared and support services

The NHS Benchmarking Network is running a good practice seminar on shared and support services on 24 November. Hosted by Somerset Community Health in Yeovil the event will include presentations from Somerset Community Health and a good practice presentation from Anglia Support Partnership, one of the largest providers of shared and support services within the NHS. For further information, contact Lindsey Rigby.