Public health framework sets out desired outcomes

A new public health outcomes framework defines two key measures for public health: healthy life expectancy and demographic differences in life expectancy and healthy life expectancy.

Delivering sustainable cost improvement programmes

The Audit Commission and Monitor have jointly published a guide called Delivering Sustainable Cost Improvement Programmes aimed at acute, ambulance, mental health and specialist NHS trusts and foundation trusts. It summarises how successful organisations cut costs.

Driving quality and evidence through national clinical audits

The NHS standard contract for acute hospital, mental health, community and ambulance services sets a requirement that provider organisations shall participate in appropriate national clinical audits that are part of the national clinical audit and patient outcome programme (NCAPOP).

Government 'concordat' with teleheath

The government announced a concordat between the Department of Health and the teleheath industry at a parliamentary reception on 19 January.

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There is so much noise about commissioning that it's easy to miss the important news. The Commissioning Zone adds around 20 items a week including official policy and guidance, expert resources including commissioning tools and guides, the latest national numbers and good practice case studies. Sign up for daily or weekly updates.

DH seeks views on new JSNA guidance

The Department of Health has published draft guidance for health and wellbeing boards and their partners explaining the role of joint strategic needs assessments (JSNA). The guidance explains the statutory duty to produce a JSNA and the importance of the JSNA in commissioning plans. It also describes a framework for preparing a JSNA.

The department has appealed for feedback by Friday 17 February. A short public consultation will follow.

PbR update - January 2012

The Department of Health has published the eighth Payment by Results update. This month's update includes information on preparation of the 2012/13 tariff, sexual health, commissioning ambulance emergency and urgent services from April 2012, and best practice tariffs.

PP DES assessment not a numbers game

The guidance for the patient participation directed enhanced service (PP DES) is deliberately non-prescriptive in defining a patient representative group. The problem for PCTs is in determining what a representative group looks like when "representative" has no numerical value. PCC has produced a guide to support PCTs in applying reasonable assessment criteria.

PCC has also produced a toolkit and step-by-step guide for practices keen to improve patient participation and qualify for the DES. Practices can still receive part payment for the PP DES if they start now.

Tool helps practices benefit from quality gains

PCC has an analytical tool to help general practices review clinical quality outcomes and focus on areas of potential improvement. Drawing on information from the previous year's QOF results and secondary care usage data, the tool allows the practice to compare its achievement to that of similar practices. It also guides practices on improved management of patients for better outcomes.

The QOF tool is free to paid delegates to PCC's Quality and Business Success in Practice events. The next event is in London on 23 February.

Contact peter.bullivant@pcc.nhs.uk for further information.

Removal from the General Pharmaceutical Council register

This briefing contains useful advice for PCTs on how to deal with pharmacists and pharmacy premises that have been removed from the General Pharmaceutical Council's register.

Draft NHS pharmaceutical services regulations 2012

A short briefing on the new market entry system for pharmacies and dispensing appliance contractors as proposed in the draft NHS pharmaceutical services regulations 2012.

Interim arrangements for pharmacy premises applications

PCTs should use the 2005 regulations to process applications to open new or additional pharmacy or dispensing appliance contractor premises until the consultation on the draft NHS pharmaceutical services regulations 2012 has ended and they are laid in parliament. Transitional provisions will be made for applications that are not finally determined under the 2005 regulations and guidance on these arrangements will be available in due course.

MUR guidance published

NHS Employers and the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee have published guidance for medicines use reviews (MURs), which includes an explanation of the October 2011 changes to the service.

This new guidance will be a useful resource for commissioners of community pharmacy, pharmacy contractors and individual pharmacists. It includes information on the conditions of the service, how to deliver it successfully, monitoring arrangements, an updated MUR service specification, as well as a list of suggested questions which pharmacists can use during the MUR consultation with patients.

The new dental contract and community dental services

Work is underway to pilot a new dental contract based on registration, capitation and quality and outcomes, rather than the current system of units of dental activity. The pilots present an opportunity to consider an appropriate recording and reporting mechanism for community dental services.

The NHS Information Centre and the Department of Health are discussing the potential use of the Community Information Data Set (CIDS) by community dental services and alignment with dental contract reform. Meanwhile, provider organisations are advised to consider delaying implementation of CIDS into dental services.

Further information on CIDS can be found at www.ic.nhs.uk/communitycare.

All queries should be directed to enquiries@ic.nhs.uk.

Sight problems ten times more likely in people with learning disabilities

The all party parliamentary groups on eye health, visual impairment and learning disability held a joint meeting on Tuesday 17 January to discuss recent research by leading sight loss charities SeeAbility and the RNIB.

The purpose of the meeting was to raise awareness among parliamentarians of the research, which found that:

• There are one million adults with a learning disability in the UK
• People with learning disabilities are ten times more likely to have serious sight problems than other people. People with severe or profound learning disabilities are most likely to have sight problems
• Six in ten people with learning disabilities need glasses and often need support to get used to them
• There will be a 10% increase in people with learning disabilities and sight loss over the next 20 years

GOS activity statistics for England, April to September 2011

The NHS Information Centre has published General Ophthalmic Services activity statistics for England covering the period April to September 2011.

The tables show NHS ophthalmic activity at national, PCT and SHA level.

See the PCC website for full details of events.