Editorial
This week saw the Health and Social Care Act 2008
receive Royal Assent.
Accordingly, it is now certain that the Commission for
Social Care Inspection (CSCI) will be replaced next
year by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) – the
expected timing is April 2009.
CQC will have a range of powers that were not
available to CSCI, however, the main objectives of
the CQC is said by Government to be to protect and
promote the health, safety and welfare of people who
use health and social care services with the reforms
intended to create more public confidence in the care
received from Health professionals.
Further, the Act extends the reach of the Human
Rights Act care by ensuring that any independent
sector care home that provides accommodation
together with nursing or personal care on behalf of a
local authority is subject to the Human Rights
Act. This is odd from several perspectives – first, it
was unnecessary. I have written extensively about
why it is unnecessary – see previous issues of
BHCR. Second, if one accepts that it is both
necessary and of value, why deny privately paying
service users the ‘protection’?
We will review the Act in future issues of BHCR after
the summer break.
Abuse
1. Child abuse experts fly in with advice for
Jersey
26 July 2008 - Jersey Evening Post
The Jersey Care Leavers’ Association held a twohour
public meeting at Fort Regent at which Liz Davies,
a senior lecturer at London Metropolitan University,
spoke at the meeting which was called to consider
how the island should address the historical
child abuse matters arising from the Haut de la Garenne
children’s home.
2. Independent Safeguarding Authority
25 July 2008 - ISA Stakeholder Newsletter
There is to be guidance issued on the workings of
the scheme – possibly issued in September.
110 people have been made conditional offers of
employment to caseworker/decision makers.
The scheme is to go live in October 2009 and will
replace the current POVA/POCA etc lists.
3. ‘No Secrets’ Consultation by DoH
I understand that publication has been delayed, it
was to have been published about now. Expect it to
see the light of day in Autumn.
Business News
4. Four Seasons' re-financing failure will hit
those in the autumn of their life
27 July 2008 - Sunday Telegraph
Twelve days ago, the senior management of Britain's
second biggest care home operator, Four Seasons
Healthcare UK, received the news they had been
dreading. The nursing home giant's finance director
Nick Mitchell e-mailed other senior managers to say
emergency rescue talks with its main lenders had
completely broken down.
What Mitchell's e-mail meant to management of Four
Seasons is that they are on their own. The chain,
which is already in breach of its banking covenants,
could go bust if it fails to agree a re-financing deal by
01.09.08. Four Seasons' management may even act
at some stage to put the company into administration
themselves.
Martin Green of English Community Care Association
warned "It's a possibility that some operators will go
bust. Everybody's suffering at the moment, if we don't
get some remedial action we will be in a crisis. We're
having severe difficulties now and Britain is going to
need a lot more residential care in future."
Green hit out at local authorities, saying cuts will
harm private providers who have improved nursing
home standards. "They have been squeezing providers
for several years and it will impede people's ability
to develop services; some companies may withdraw
from market, precipitating a postcode lottery.
And the local councils sit like Caesar's wife, above
suspicion. When local authorities were providers [in
the 1980s] they provided low-quality, high-cost and
inflexible standards of care."
5. Shareholders left for dead as rival snaps
up UK assets of Patientline
26 July 2008 - The Times
Shares stood at 0.25pence when troubled Patientline
sold its UK assets to Hospedia a consortium which
includes Patientline’s main competitor, Premier Telesolutions.
6. Southern Cross
26 July 2008 - The Times
Southern Cross Healthcare Grp PLC
25 July 2008
Loan Facilities Extension to 30 October 2008
Further to the announcement made on 30 June 2008,
the Company has continued to work closely with its
banking syndicate and is pleased to announce that it
has agreed an extension of current loan facilities until
30 October 2008. This extension will allow the
Group time to progress further the planned sale of
certain of its property assets and to continue discussions
with the syndicate regarding the Group's longer
term financing.
Current Trading
Overall trading remains in line with the expectations
set out in the announcement of 30 June 2008.
The Company will provide a further update on current
trading in its Interim Management Statement for the
period ending 6 July 2008, which is expected to be
announced on 11 August 2008.
7. Nestor Healthcare
23 July 2008 - The Times
Nestor Healthcare Group PLC
22 July 2008 -
Nestor noted the recent movement in the Company's
share price and confirmed that the Company had received
indications of interest relating to certain parts
of the Nestor business. Discussions are ongoing and
there can be no guarantee that any agreement will be
reached. No interest has been expressed in the
Company as a whole. A further announcement will
be made in due course as required.
8. Mears Group PLC
£170 million of new contract wins for Social
Housing Division
Mears announced further significant social housing
contract awards amounting to £170m, bringing the
total aggregate contract awards in the 4 months
since announcing its preliminary results to over
£340m.
Commenting, Bob Holt, Chief Executive of Mears
Group, said:
“The first 6 months of 2008 has been record breaking
for Mears in terms of new contract wins. The award
of the Metropolitan Housing contract, in particular, is
another tremendous success for the Group. We continue
to place great emphasis on winning good quality
contracts that provide clear and sustainable margins
and where our partnership ethos will be valued.
The pipeline remains strong and I look forward to
bringing news of further contract awards in the near
future. Our order book now stands at £1.6 billion and
the visibility of future revenues has been enhanced.
We are confident of further tender success in the
near future”.
Care Homes
9. London residents contribute to debate on
future of care and support
24 July 2008 - COI
Londoners were engaged in the consultation by DoH
into the future funding of the long term care of older
people.
10. Quality criteria and care home fee cuts
23 July 2008 – Community Care
Sarah Pickup, co-chair of the Association of Directors
of Adult Social Services resources network has
rejected suggestions that the use of quality criteria to
determine fees for care home operators is in fact,
hiding cost cuts for some providers.
For full report click here
Case Reports
Law Reports
11. Selvarajan v Wilmot
The Court of Appeal overturned a line of EAT authorities
that unreasonable delay in the statutory dismissal
procedures did not make the dismissal automatically
unfair. In this case the employer took about four
months to deal with the appeal against dismissal.
Provided by specialist barrister Daniel Barnett at
www.danielbarnett.co.uk.
[Thanks to Joanne Woodward of 9 St John Street
Chambers and Joanne Martin of Davies Arnold Cooper,
both of whom acted for the successful employer].
Disciplinary cases
12. Russell v General Medical Council
The Administrative Court in a judicial review case
held that where a medical practitioner had been in
breach of a condition of her medical registration, a
panel's decision to suspend her from practice for two
months was not disproportionate, and there had been
no procedural unfairness.
13. ‘Suicide pill’ GP censured
25 July 2008 - The Times
6-month Ban For Suicide Pills GP
25 July 2008 – Evening Times
Ian Kerr a GP in Glasgow was suspended from practise
for six months.
For full report go to http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/
display.var.2408027.0.0.php?utag=28804
Ed. This case was reported on last week in BHCR
(Vol 3, Issue 28, item 15).
Cases in the news
14. Judges dismiss Rosepark fire case
25 July 2008—BBC News
A further attempt to prosecute the owners of
Rosepark, a care home where 14 elderly residents
died in a fire has collapsed; they faced 17 charges
including alleged health and safety breaches and failure
to implement an effective fire safety strategy.
The Appeal Court ruled that the Crown cannot proceed
with the indictment because the business has
been dissolved.
For full report click here
15. Fury at bill after MRSA kills widow
24 July 2008 – Daily Express
Stockport Council has been criticised for chasing a
family over a £2,000 care home bill on the day of their
mother’s funeral. Eva Duckworth died in hospital after
she was admitted with a six-inch bed sore which
became infected with MRSA.
16. Patient wins right to cancer drug
22 July 2008 – BBC News
NHS Norfolk has revised its decision to deny Barry
Humphrey two courses of treatment for a drug he
needs to prolong his life. Mr Humphrey has liver cancer
and needed treatment with Sorafenib at a cost of
£5,000.
For full report click here
17. Concerns over The Ridings OAP care
home in Birmingham
21 July 2008 – Birmingham Mail
The Ridings Centre in Castle Vale is reportedly being
investigated by Birmingham City Council officials after
relatives of residents made allegations over the
standards of care.
For full report go to http://
www.birminghammail.net/2008/07/21/concerns-over-theridings-
oap-care-home-in-birmingham-97319-21377691/
18. Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS trust
fined for patient injury
21 July 2008 - COI
Trust fined £8,000 over scalding
21 July 2008 – BBC News
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) advised hospitals
and other establishments, such as care homes,
to ensure all baths and showers are fitted with Thermostatic
Mixing Valves (TMVs) following the prosecution
of the Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Trust, which runs the John Radcliffe Hospital in
Headley Way, Oxford, was fined £8,000 and ordered
to pay costs of £2,286.15, and £500 in compensation,
as well as a £15 victim surcharge, at Oxford
Magistrates' Court following an injury to a patient in
their care.
The Trust pleaded guilty to charges under section 3
(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 for
failing to ensure the safety of one of its patients.
On 10 October 2007 an elderly patient was scalded
when taking a bath. The temperature of the water
from the hot tap was approximately 55 degrees Celsius
and she suffered burns to her body. The patient
was discharged six weeks after the incident, though
she had been due to leave on the day the incident
occurred. The bath involved was one of four in the
hospital, not fitted with TMVs.
Prior to the incident there was no formal protocol for
assessing individual patients' capabilities for bathing
and no formal safety inspections of water temperatures.
Matthew Lee, HSE Inspector, said:
"The Trust took immediate action following the incident
to ensure that all baths in the hospital were fitted
with TMVs and have implemented a comprehensive
range of improvements to ensure that there can be
no repetition of this type of incident.
"I would advise those who care for vulnerable people
to ensure they have adequate controls in place to
prevent a similar accident occurring."
For BBC report click here
Ed. Section 3(1) the Health and Safety at Work
etc. Act 1974 states "it shall be the duty of every
employer to conduct his undertaking in such a
way as to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable,
that persons not in his employment who
may be affected thereby are not thereby exposed
to risks to their health or safety."
Children
19. Children Accommodated in Secure Children's
Homes at 31 March 2008: England and
Wales
24 July 2008 – Dept for Schools, Children & Families
This statistical release gives information on children
in secure children's homes. It covers information on
places approved and children accommodated by sex,
age, length of stay and type of placement.
For full report go to http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/
SFR/s000802/index.shtml
20. Research highlights holiday childcare
shortage for disabled children
21 July 2008 - Foundation for People with Learning
Disabilities
Research by the Daycare Trust has revealed huge
gaps in the availability of holiday childcare across the
country, especially for disabled children.
More information at: http://www.learningdisabilities.org.uk/
information/news/?EntryId17=30765
Conferences & Courses
21. LONDON DIGNITY CHAMPIONS MEETING
- 14 AUGUST 2008 CENTRAL LONDON
The next London based dignity champions meeting is
to take place on the 14th of August. The meeting is
open to all dignity champions who are encouraged to
share and present the work they are doing around
dignity with other London champions.
Please email Katrina.young@dh.gsi.gov.uk or call
0207 9721337 to secure your place.
22. The Independent Health & Care Convention
2008
16-17 September 2008
The Brewery, London
The second annual Independent Health & Care Convention
is an event to be staged by Britain’s premier
healthcare analysts and publishers Laing & Buisson
in 2008.
Remaining an exciting multi-faceted event, the Convention,
comprises:
• A series of keynote debates pertinent to the independent
health and care sectors and their partners
in the statutory sector. Speakers and contributions
from the floor are invited from across the
private, voluntary and statutory sectors
• An extensive exhibition area - see list below for
exhibitors
• Fringe meetings and workshops
• download the Skills for Health Fringe meeting
topic
• download Information Centre for Health meeting
topic
• A range of other opportunities for networking
Download the convention brochure for full details or
visit our website
www.independenthealthcareconvention.co.uk
TO BOOK YOUR PLACE
To book your place at this event download the brochure
and booking and fax or post , call the Conference
team on 020 7923 5344 or email conferences@
laingbuisson.co.uk
All information can be found at
www.independenthealthcareconvention.co.uk.
23. Vulnerability, Risk & Empowerment—
Action on Elder Abuse
17 September 2008
Edinburgh Conference Centre, Heriot Watt University,
Edinburgh
Systems, policies and procedures to protect adults at
risk from abuse have existed prior to the introduction
of guidance and legislation. With the Adult Support
and Protection Act arguably posing as many questions
as it provides answers, this unique and exciting
one day conference hosted by Action on Elder Abuse
will consider a number of key issues contained within
the Safeguarding debate in Scotland including:
• The implication of definitions: Adults at risk/
vulnerable adults or adults vulnerable to abuse
• The current state of protection in Scotland—
interventions and key concepts: where have we
reached?
• The Domestic Abuse Agenda: what are the lessons
for protective systems?
• Advocacy and Empowerment: do we really mean
it?
• Regulation and Protection: two sides of the same
coin or separate activities?
• The Criminal Justice Response to adult abuse: a
crime or something else
A full, detailed programme and booking form will be
available shortly, but to register your interest and request
a booking form, please contact Daisy Goodstien
on daisygoodstien@elderabuse.org.uk or call us
on 0208 765 7000.
The booking form is now available via the following link:
http://www.elderabuse.org.uk/Conferences/VRE%20Booking%
20Form.pdf,
24. Capita’s 3rd National Conference
The Future of the Adult Social Care Workforce
Friday 19th September 2008 – Central London
Please note that we are now taking bookings on this
informative and topical event, which is CPD Certified
and includes contributions from Skills for Care and
Skills for Health. I would be grateful if you could
read the following information and also forward it on
to anyone you feel would be interested, especially
those involved with HR/Personnel, Adult Social Care
Management, Recruitment and Workforce Development,
so that all stakeholders have the chance to attend.
Please click here to download a copy of the conference
brochure in pdf format, which includes a full list
of speakers, an agenda for the day and a booking
form. If you have any problems with the hyperlink,
please e-mail me at dave.eastman@capita.co.uk and
I will send the brochure as an attachment.
Chaired by Jon Glasby, Professor of Health and Social
Care, Director Health Services Management Centre,
University of Birmingham, our expert speakers
include:
• Glen Mason, Director of Social Care Leadership
and Performance, Department of Health
• Kathryn Halford, New Ways of Working Divisional
Manager, Skills for Health
• Jim Thomas, Programme Head, New Types of
Worker, Skills for Care
• Liz West, Learning and Development Manager
for Adult Care Services, Hertfordshire County
Council
• Jonathan Langman, Assistive Technology and
Prevention Services Officer, Norfolk Council
Beverley Maybury, Head of Modernisation, Adult &
Community Services, Oldham Metropolitan Borough
Council
Places can be booked on this event either by filling
out and returning the booking form on the final page
of the conference brochure, or by e-mailing the
delegate detai l s directly to me at
dave.eastman@capita.co.uk. Alternatively you can
book online by clicking here and using Booking Reference
Code TSDE.
We offer discounts for Block Bookings of 3 delegates
or more, please call me direct on 0207 808 5309 for
more details.
THE BOOKING REFERENCE CODE IS TSDE. YOU
MUST QUOTE THIS WHEN BOOKING.
25. 17th International Congress on Palliative
Care
23-26 September 2008 at the Palais des Congrès
in Montréal, Canada.
Presented by the Palliative Care Division of the Departments
of Medicine and Oncology of McGill University,
this biennial Congress has grown to become
one of the premier international events in palliative
care. Healthcare professionals, therapists, volunteers
and all those involved in care for the dying
come to renew themselves as providers of care and
to obtain the inspiration that will help them shape the
palliative care of the future. Since the first Congress
in 1976 under the leadership of palliative care pioneer
Dr. Balfour Mount, there has been increasing agreement
in the field that palliative care should be provided
from diagnosis, hence the shift to “Palliative
Care” from “Care of the Terminally Ill” in the title of
the 2008 Congress.
Poster abstracts may be submitted until May 28,
2008.
The early registration deadline is March 24,
2008. For more information, to register or to submit
an abstract, please visit www.pal2008.com or call
450-292-3456 ext. 227.
April O’Donoughue
Tel: +1 (450) 292-3456, ext. 227
Fax: +1 (450) 292-3453
E-mail: info@pal2008.com
Web : www.pal2008.com
26. LCA Annual Conference and Exhibition
2008
“Brave New World - Transforming Social Care:
Personalisation and Quality"
25th September 2008 at Mercure Dunkenhalgh
Hotel, (J7 M65)
For more information contact:
sarah.luton@lancashirecare.org.uk
And Charity Gala Dinner
Confirmed speakers for conference include Baroness
Young (shadow Chair of the Care Quality Commission);
Andrea Rowe (CEO, Skills for Care) and David
Brindle (the Guardian). The full programme will be
available in due course but book early to avoid disappointment
and get your ‘early bird’ discount.
h t t p : / / w w w . l a n c a s h i r e c a r e . o r g . u k /
conference_&_charity_gala_dinner.asp
27. Capita’s 3rd National Sheltered Housing
Conference
Providing Support for an Independent Old
Age
Friday 26th September 2008 - Central London
We would like to give you advance notice of the Autumn
2008 Sheltered Housing Conference, which
is supported by Midland Heart, CSIP and EROSH. I
would be grateful if you could find the time to read
this and also forward it on to colleagues to whom
it may be relevant.
For conference agenda and booking form please
click here or if the link doesn’t work please ask for a
brochure via email at dave.eastman@capita.co.uk
Our expert speakers include:
Bruce Moore, Chief Executive, Hanover Housing Association
Steve Strong, Individual Budgets Advisor, Care Services
Improvement Partnership
Lesley Lancelott, Special Projects Officer, Supporting
People Commissioning & Strategy Team, Manchester
City Council
Sara Beamand, Head of Older People’s Services,
Midland Heart Care and Support
Tony Kiely, Neighbourhood Director - Older Persons,
Dane Housing Group
David Gittens, Team Co-ordinator, Older Peoples
Support, Trident Housing Association
27. Capita’s 3rd National Sheltered Housing
Conference (continued…)
Pauline Vernon, Manager - Advice, Information and
Mediation Service, Age Concern England
Beth Noray, Beth Noray Consultancy and Training
Spaces can be booked on this event either by filling
in and faxing the booking form on the final page of
the brochure (For agenda and booking form please
click here) to 0870 165 8989, or by e-mailing me
directly with the delegate details.
Alternatively you can book online by clicking here
and use booking ref code: TSDE. If you have any
questions or difficulties please call Dave Eastman
o n 0 2 0 7 8 0 8 5 3 0 9 o r e m a i l
dave.eastman@capita.co.uk
28. Delivering effective end-of-life care: developing
partnership working
Wednesday 15 October 2008, 9.30am–4.00pm,
London
Recognition of the need for good-quality end-of-life
care has been steadily increasing, with the release of
the government's End of Life Care Strategy being
imminent. Much pioneering work has been done by a
wide range of organisations across health and social
care. There is now a move towards effective commissioning
and co-ordination of this care, in order to
enable greater choice for those at the end of their
life.
Produced in partnership between the King's Fund
and Marie Curie Cancer Care, this one-day conference
will look at how best to deliver end-of-life care.
Key speakers
Professor Mike Richards CBE, Chair, End of Life
Strategy Advisory Board and National Clinical Director
for Cancer
Dr James Beattie, National Clinical Lead, NHS Heart
Improvement Programme and Consultant Cardiologist,
Birmingham Heartlands Hospital
Places at this event are limited so we recommend
that you reserve a place as soon as possible by
downloading a registration form from our website or
booking online. For further information and to
download the full programme, please visit our website
or email us and we will be happy to provide you with
more details.
29. Improving patients' experiences: developing
high quality care
Monday 27 October 2008, 10.00am–1.15pm
The King's Fund, 11–13 Cavendish Square, London
W1G 0AN
Achieving high quality patient care will be the key
objective for the NHS over the coming years, with
particular focus in the NHS Next Stage Review on
measuring and improving the patient experience.
Secretary of State for Health Rt Hon Alan Johnson
MP, at the NHS Confederation Annual Conference,
pointed to new measures which will be introduced to
look at the safety and quality of care, as well as the
compassion with which that care is delivered. Work is
already underway on the development of Patient Reported
Outcomes Monitoring, and the choice agenda
is being rolled out. How should providers and commissioners
ensure they are at the forefront of the
movement to transform patients' experience?
This seminar will:
• develop understanding of patients' experience
and how to involve patients in service design
• provide case studies from the acute sector including
insight into methods for measuring patients' experience
encourage discussion between commissioners, acute
care providers and patients about methods for improving
the quality of care.
Places at this event are limited so we recommend
that you reserve a place as soon as possible by
downloading a booking form from our website or
booking online. For further information and to
download the full programme, please visit our website
or email us and we will be happy to provide you with
more details.
30. Mind the Gap! ECCA Conference, November
12, 2008. Book now and save £50!
Book now for our conference on the future of care at
the Holiday Inn, Bloomsbury, London WC1. Email
conference@ecca.org.uk , call 08450 577 677, or visit
www.ecca.org.uk.
31. Westminster Health Forum keynote seminar
Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy
Morning, 19th November 2008, Westminster SW1
With Glen Mason
Director of Social Care Leadership & Performance,
Department of Health
Our Website | Book Online
Planned sessions will look at:
The central themes of the Adult Social Care Workforce
Strategy;
Implementing the personalisation of adult social care
services;
Remodelling the adult social care workforce; and
Regulating and measuring the performance of the
adult social care workforce.
We are delighted that Glen Mason, Director of Social
Care Leadership & Performance, Department of
Health will be delivering a keynote address at this
seminar.
Other speakers are expected to be confirmed.
Typically, attendees at our seminars are a senior and
informed group numbering around 120, including
Members of both Houses of Parliament, senior government
officials involved in this area of public policy,
health professionals, trade unions, representatives of
health consumer organisations, academia, interested
and affected charities and other related industries,
together with representatives of the trade and national
press.
Booking arrangements
To book places, please use our online booking form.
Once submitted, this will be taken as a confirmed
booking and will be subject to our terms and conditions
below.
Please pay in advance by credit card on 01276
489144. If advance credit card payment is not possible
please let me know and we may be able make
other arrangements.
Options and charges are as follows:
Places at Adult Social Care Workforce Strategy
(including refreshments and PDF copy of the transcripts)
are £190 plus VAT (£223.25);
Concessionary rate places for small charities, unfunded
individuals and those in similar circumstances
are £80 plus VAT (£94). Please be sure to apply for
this at the time of booking.
32. The King's Fund Annual Conference 2008
Reshaping the NHS: Creating locally-driven
evidence-based service change
Tuesday 25 November 2008, 9.30am–5.30pm
Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists,
Regent's Park, London
What is the conference about?
Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review makes it clear
that all future NHS reconfigurations should be clinically
driven, evidence based and locally led – with
inputs from patients and the public. The King's Fund
Annual Conference 2008 will look at what this means
in practice. We will explore different types and applications
of evidence, consider the roles that service
commissioners and providers need to adopt, and
showcase successful national and international service
reconfigurations that reflect these principals.
Keynote speakers
International keynote speaker: David Levine, President
and Director General of the Health and Social
Services Agency in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
UK Keynote speaker: Geoff Mulgan, Director, The
Young Foundation
Exhibition and sponsorship
Following the success of last year's exhibition we are
delighted to be offering a limited number of extra conference
stands in 2008. We have a wide variety of
sponsorship packages available.
Places at this event are limited so we recommend
that you reserve a place as soon as possible by
downloading a booking form from our website or
booking online. For further information please visit our
website or email us and we will be happy to provide
you with more details.
33. Action on Elder Abuse is pleased to announce
its National Conference for 2009 will
be on Monday 23 March 2009 and Tuesday 24
March 2009
Next year it will be held at East Midlands Conference
Centre
Nottingham Conferences
University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RJ
T: 0115 951 5000
F: 0115 951 5009
nottinghamconferences.co.uk
Consultations
To follow next week
CSCI/Care Quality Commission
(w.e.f. 2009), CSSIW,
Healthcare Commission &
Scottish Care Commission
34. Healthcare watchdog highlights best and
worst NHS hospital care for people with
acute mental health problems
23 July 2008 – Healthcare Commission
The Healthcare Commission has published its largest
ever review of acute inpatient mental health services
highlights areas for action and said that it shows all
have room for improvement.
The Commission assessed all 69 NHS trusts providing
acute inpatient mental health services in England
which covered 554 wards providing almost 10,000
beds for patients between the ages of 18 and 65.
For full report go to http://www.healthcarecommission.org.uk/
newsandevents/pressreleases.cfm?
cit_id=6498&FAArea1=customWidgets.content_view_1&usec
ache=false
35. Care Quality Commission
23 July 2008
The English Community Care Association has responded
to the news that the Health and Social Care
Bill has received Royal Assent.
Martin Green, Chief Executive of ECCA, said:
“The new Commission will face some significant
challenges and in particular it will need to prove that
in its approach to regulation it can take the best practice
from its predecessor bodies and deliver benefits
to users and providers beyond those that are delivered
by the current system.
“ECCA is particularly pleased that the needs of social
care have been identified as requiring special focus
within the Act and also that there is provision for user
involvement in the defining of quality. ECCA members
regularly ask for feedback from their users and
it is our belief that users are some of the best advocates
for the quality of residential care and we are
pleased that their views will be a formal part of the
inspection process and this will build on the excellent
work already done by CSCI.”
36. Cynthia Bower named new Care Quality
Commission Chief Executive
22 July 2008 - COI
Baroness Barbara Young, Chair of the Care Quality
Commission (CQC), announced that Cynthia Bower
has been appointed Chief Executive of
CQC. Cynthia Bower is currently Chief Executive of
NHS West Midlands. She has previously held posts
as chief executive of a community health trust and a
primary care trust.
37. New Information Pack for Childminders
Launched
22 July 2008 – SCRC
In information pack for childminders throughout Scotland
has been devised by the Food Standards
Agency Scotland, the Scottish Childminding Association
and the Care Commission.
For full report click here
38. Annual report 2007-08
22 July 2008 – CSCI
CSCI has issued its annual report for the fourth year
in a row, detailing their assessments of councils’ social
care performance and inspections of regulated
services.
For full report click here
39. Clostridium difficile - ongoing key messages
21 July 2008 – SCRC
The Scottish Care Commission has issued a bulletin
to advise where best to research specific advice
about C.diff.
For full report click here
40. Care Quality Commission created by new
act
21 July 2008 – Community Care
The Care Quality Commission will assume responsibility
for regulating health and social care and monitoring
the welfare of detained mental health patients
in England following the passage of the Health and
Social Care Act 2008, the Care Quality Commission
will assume responsibility for regulating health and
social care and monitoring the welfare of detained
mental health patients in England.
.
The legislation heralds the abolition of the Commission
for Social Care Inspection, the Healthcare Commission
and the Mental Health Act Commission by
April 2009.
The Care Quality Commission will come into being as
a shadow form in October 2008.
For full report click here
Dementia
41. Bristol Residents to Help Government Improve
Dementia Care
23 July 2008 - COI
The dementia consultation event aims to inform people
about the draft Strategy and offers them an opportunity
to give Government their views. The Department
of Health will then take them into account in creating
the final Strategy for publication in the Autumn.
The full Strategy will have three main aims:
* to increase awareness of dementia and remove the
stigma associated with it
*ensure early diagnosis and intervention
* improve the quality of care that people with dementia
receive
Health Minister, Ivan Lewis, said:
"Dementia is a condition affecting an increasing number
of families in our society and is one of the greatest
challenges now facing NHS and social care services.
That is why this first ever National Dementia
Strategy is so important. It will set out how we will
improve the quality of life for people with dementia
and their families, increase awareness of the condition
and ensure earlier diagnosis and intervention.
"Getting the views and experiences of people across
England, including Bristol, is essential if we are to
make sure the Strategy will make a real difference
and bring dementia out of the shadows."
42. Review of prescription of anti-psychotic
drugs to people with dementia: terms of reference
21 July 2008 – DoH
The terms of reference for the review of prescribing
and use of anti-psychotic drugs to treat sufferers of
dementia can be downloaded at the link below.
For full report click here
43. Counsel and Care calls for radical vision
for future of care support
21 July 2008 – DoH
The charity Counsel and Care is supporting recommendations
made by the all parliamentary group on
local government’s inquiry into services for older
people. The charity asserted that services for older
people should be holistic, person-centred and integrated
with health and the local community.
For full report click here
Education
Nothing to report
Ireland, Scotland & Wales
Ireland
Nothing to report
Scotland
44. Leniency Shown To GP Over Suicide A
'sign Of Progress'
26 July 2008 – The Herald
Campaigners have heralded the decision not to strike
a Scottish doctor from the medical register after he
prescribed pills to a patient so she could end her life
as a sign of progress.
For full report go to http://www.theherald.co.uk/
display.var.2410143.0.0.php?utag=28804
For full story see Case Reports—item 13
45. Patients Support 'wonderful Doctor' Suspended
By GMC
26 July 2008 – The Herald
Patients have written to professional bodies to speak
highly of Dr Iain Kerr.
They wrote about him visiting the elderly, coming to
their homes on his day off and giving them the time
and attention they say they have not experienced
with other GPs.
For full report go to http://www.theherald.co.uk/
display.var.2410091.0.0.php?utag=28804
46. NHS apology after hospital death
25 July 2008 – BBC News
NHS Tayside is due to apologise to the family of a
79-year-old man who died at Ninewells Hospital in
Dundee after a routine knee replacement operation.
The patient died in 2006, and his sister complained
first to the health board then to the Scottish Public
Services Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman then upheld her complaint that Mr
A's fluid levels were not monitored properly.
For full report click here
47. Furious GPs Blast Health Visitor Plan
23 July 2008 – Evening Times
GPs in Glasgow are in uproar over plans by NHS
Greater Glasgow and Clyde to remove health visitors
from their surgeries.
The plan is to move staff away from their clinics and
into social work teams to cover geographical areas.
For full report go to http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/
display.var.2406706.0.0.php?utag=28804
Wales
48. Latest News from the Vale
24 July 2008 - North Wales Care Association
Barry Latham, Senior Policy Advisor with North Wales
Care Association reports that care home proprietor,
Mike Kemp, successfully challenged the fee setting
process followed by his council for 2006/07 on the
basis that the council had not followed Welsh Assembly
Government Statutory Guidance which required
commissioners to have regard to provider’s legitimate
costs when setting the amount they are prepared to
pay. The dispute between the provider and the council
was settled by arbitration which is only binding between
the parties to the dispute and other providers in
the Vale did not benefit from the outcome of the arbitration.
49. Plans to extend Clostridium Difficile reporting
22 July 2008 – Welsh Assembly
Chief Medical Officer for Wales, Dr Tony Jewell has
unveiled a plan to extend the mandatory surveillance
scheme for C.diff.
For full report click here
Learning Disabilities
50. Anne Williams appointed as National Director
for Learning Disabilities
28 July 2008 - COI
Health Minister Ivan Lewis has announced the appointment
of Anne Williams as the new National Director
for Learning Disabilities at the Department of
Health; her responsibilities will be to help drive forward
delivery of policies to make sure people with
learning disabilities are treated as equal citizens in
their communities, in healthcare and beyond.
She will also oversee the next stage of the cross-
Government 'Valuing People Now' strategy, for publication
later this year, as well as implementation of it
in the coming years.
Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis said:
"I am pleased that Anne Williams has accepted this
key appointment. Her experiences in the social care
field make her an ideal candidate to drive forward the
ambitious agenda for independent living for people
with learning disabilities. I look forward to working
with her."
Anne Williams said:
"I am delighted to accept this appointment to lead
implementation of Valuing People Now. I have a
longstanding commitment to people with learning disabilities
and their families. I am especially keen to see
that every person benefits from the developments
that will be outlined in the strategy, particularly those
with profound and complex disabilities and those
whose behaviour challenges services."
Anne is the current Strategic Director of Salford City
Council and Immediate Past President of the Association
of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS).
She was the unanimous choice of a panel that included
a person with learning disabilities, a family
carer and representative from the voluntary sector.
Ed. No doubt this announcement has been carefully
planned in view of the announcement of the
findings of Sir Jonathan Michael who investigated
the healthcare experiences in the NHS of people
with learning disabilities. Sir Jonathan was appointed
following the outcry after the publication
by MENCAP of Death by Indifference in March
2007.
Legislation Update
51. No. 1938 The Health Service Branded
Medicines (Control of Prices and Supply of
Information) Regulations 2008
24 July 2008 – OPSI
For full legislation click here
52. The Health Service Branded Medicines
(Control of Prices and Supply of Information)
Regulations 2008
24 July 2008 – DoH
For full legislation click here
53. No. 1894 The National Minimum Wage
Regulations 1999 (Amendment) Regulations
2008
23 July 2008 – OPSI
For full legislation click here
54. No. 1900 (C.84) The Mental Health Act
2007 (Commencement No. 7 and Transitional
Provisions) Order 2008
22 July 2008 – OPSI
For full legislation click here
55. Health and Social Care Act 2008 c.14
22 July 2008 – OPSI
For full legislation click here
56. Health and Social Care Act 2008 receives
Royal Assent
22 July 2008 COI
The Health and Social Care Act 2008 received Royal
Assent and:
- Establishes the Care Quality Commission, a new
health and adult social care regulator with tough powers
to inspect, investigate and intervene where care
providers are failing to meet safety and quality requirements,
including hygiene standards. In performing
its functions, the main objective of the Care Quality
Commission will be to protect and promote the
health, safety and welfare of people who use health
and social care services;
- Reforms professional regulation to give patients and
the public more confidence in the care they receive
from health professionals. This includes creating a
new adjudicator to make independent decisions about
whether individual health professionals should remain
56. Health and Social Care Act 2008 receives
Royal Assent (continued…)
in practice so the public can have full confidence in
the transparency and independence of medical regulation.
In addition, Responsible Officers will be appointed
to oversee the conduct and performance of
doctors at a local level;
- Updates existing public health protection legislation
to provide a comprehensive set of public health
measures to help prevent and control the spread of
serious diseases caused by infection and contamination;
- Allows for cash grants to be made to pregnant
women in the final stage of pregnancy, recognising
the importance of a healthy diet and the additional
costs expectant mothers face at this time;
- Strengthens the protection of vulnerable people
using residential care by ensuring that any independent
sector care home that provides accommodation
together with nursing or personal care on behalf of a
local authority is subject to the Human Rights Act.
The Care Quality Commission will bring together the
expertise of the Healthcare Commission, Commission
for Social Care Inspection and the Mental
Health Act Commission, meaning a more consistent
approach to regulation at a time when services are
increasingly crossing traditional health and social
care boundaries. The interests of these three areas
must be represented on the board.
The Commission will have a responsibility to set out
how it will engage with and promote awareness
among service users, and to report on this annually.
The Commission will reduce the burden of inspection
on the frontline reducing the level of duplication and
bureaucracy faced by hospitals and care homes as
well as creating a level playing field across the public
and private sectors.
Health Minister Ben Bradshaw said:
"This Act will help to protect the health, safety and
welfare of those who use health and social care services.
The independent regulator, the Care Quality
Commission, will have tough new powers to inspect
and take action to protect patients and service users.
In addition, professional regulation will be reformed,
meaning patients can have confidence that the care
they receive will be safe."
57. Draft Statutory Instruments
2008 No. 000 Mental Capacity, England
The Mental Capacity (Deprivation of Liberty:
Standard Authorisations, Assessments and
Ordinary Residence) Regulations 2008
2008—OPSI
Coming into force 3 November 2008
For full legislation click here
Mental Health
58. Darzi is the next stage for mental health
25 July 2008 - Health Service Journal
Dr Mike Hobbs looks at how clinical engagement is
shaping policy in mental health and emphasises the
importance of genuine interactions for positive outcomes.
59. Mental health being neglected in the elderly
24 July 2008 – HSJ
A report by the Institute for Public Policy Research
has claimed that older people's mental health and
well-being is being severely neglected.
The report, ‘Older People and Wellbeing’ predicts that
the number of elderly with mental health problems will
rise dramatically over the next 20 years which would
be mainly driven by an increase in the prevalence of
mental health problems across all ages, an ageing
population and a rise in the number of carers.
60. Institute for Public Policy Research - Marginalised
and depressed: Britain’s older people
24 July 2008
A report, ‘Marginalised and depressed: Britain’s older
people’ published by the Institute for Public Policy
Research warns that urgent action needs to be take
action to curb a decline in mental health and wellbeing
amongst the over 65s. The IPPR report highlights
that, while young people's health and wellbeing have
been the focus of many new policies and debate,
older people's wellbeing has been severely neglected,
with an estimated 2.4 million older people
thought to have depression which impairs their quality
of life.
Jessica Allen, Head of Health and Social Care, IPRR
said: "Declines in wellbeing in older people can no
longer be an ignored. One million older people in the
UK are socially isolated and if the issue is not addressed,
this number is projected to rise to 2.2 million
over the next 15 years. Politicians need to refocus
their attention and get serious about improving older
people’s wellbeing."
Click here to view this item online
61. Trust bottom after 'admin error'
23 July 2008 – BBC News
Wolverhampton City Primary Care Trust said that an
administrative error led to its ranking as the worst in
England. John Crockett, its chief executive, said the
ranking was a result of the late filing of results with
the Healthcare Commission and “did not reflect the
quality of our services”.
For full report click here
62. 5,000 missing from mental health wards
23 July 2008 - The Times
The Healthcare Commission has expressed concern
that 5,000 patients abscond from mental health
wards, causing 200 violent incidents. 45% of nurses
and 15% of patients reported being assaulted in the
previous 12 months.
63. Many mental health wards 'poor'
22 July 2008 – BBC News
The Healthcare Commission has ruled that many
NHS mental health wards are poor after it reviewed
all 69 trusts in England which covers nearly 10,000
hospital beds.
No trust top-scored in all four key criteria whilst almost
a quarter of the beds were run by organisations
who got the bottom weak rating by the watchdog.
For full report click here
Miscellaneous
64. Why doctors should be tested for competence
25 July 2008 - The Times, Letters to the Editor
A number of letters one sets out the view that it is an
opportunity for doctors to get positive feedback on
their work as opposed to mainly complaints.
65. The first annual report of the Independent
Mental Capacity Advocacy Service
Year 1 - April 2007 to March 2008
25 July 2008
The Independent Mental Capacity Advocate (IMCA)
service established under the MCA in April 2007 produces
the first annual report.
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/
Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_086478
66. Survey finds foundation trusts' hidden
private income
24 July 2008 – HSJ
A confidential report for the regulator, Monitor has
suggested that foundation trusts earned up to £70m
more income from private patients last year than their
accounts show.
The report was commissioned by Monitor in the wake
of a judicial review launched by Unison.
67. Dentists looking for NHS patients
24 July 2008 – BBC News
Somerset dentists are advertising for patients because
they have a surplus of NHS places.
Somerset Primary Care Trust said there were 17
practices in the county currently registering new NHS
patients because they have not moved to the private
sector to the same extent as those in the rest of the
UK.
For full report click here
68. Doctors facing annual assessments
23 July 2008 – BBC News
Doctors facing 'five-year MOTs'
23 July 2008 – BBC News
All doctors face annual test of their competence
23 July 2008 - The Times, front page
New Checks to Protect Patient Safety
23 July 2008 - COI
Plans to improve patient safety and support professionals
in sustaining their high standards, have been
set out by the Chief Medical Officer for England
(CMO) Sir Liam Donaldson.
In proposals, outlined in the report ‘Medical Revalidation
- Principles and Next Steps’, doctors will, be required
to renew their professional registration every
five years, in order to provide assurance that they are
practising to the standard that patients, the public and
the profession itself expect. It will also play a part in
putting quality at the heart of NHS care - a key element
of the proposals outlined in Lord Darzi's report
‘High Quality Care for All’.
Patients will play an important role in this process.
They will be asked for views on their doctor, including
:
* Effective communication, including listening, informing
and explaining;
* Involving patients in treatment decisions;
* Care co-ordination and support for self-care; and
* Showing respect for patients and treating them with
dignity.
Speaking on publication of the report, CMO Sir Liam
Donaldson said:
"I'm confident that this process, agreed with doctors'
representatives will help raise standards of medical
practice and improve the quality of the patient experience.
The involvement of patients and public in the
process will help define what counts as good health-
68. Doctors facing annual assessments
(continued…)
care and in the rare cases where doctors are falling
short, provide them, where possible, with the support
needed to renew their registration.”
The report can be found on the DH website at http://
www.dh.gov.uk
The consultation on the introduction of Responsible
officers can be found at
http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/
index.htm
For 1st BBC report click here
For 2nd BBC report click here
69. Extra care housing - 25 new sites announced
21 July 2008 - COI
Health and Care Minister Ivan Lewis announced the
sites that will benefit from £80million of Government
funding to build extra care housing, enabling more
older people and those with dementia and long-term
conditions to live in a home of their own. He presented
the successful Barnsley extra care housing
scheme with a cheque for £3.8 million together with
Sir Michael Parkinson.
People who are unable to continue to live in their
own homes have traditionally had their choices limited
to care homes, creating a number of problems
including couples finding they can no longer live together.
Extra care housing gives people a home of their own
where wide ranges of care and support services are
provided on site. Tenants enjoy greater privacy, dignity
and independence, couples can stay together,
and social and leisure opportunities can be enjoyed
at the resident's convenience. In addition, homeowners
may be able to keep some of the equity in their
property.
Health Minister Ivan Lewis said:
"I am delighted to announce these 25 successful extra
care housing sites.
"Extra care housing is about offering people a choice.
Too often I hear of cases where a couple who have
been together for over fifty years are forced apart
because one requires care and has no choice but to
enter residential or nursing care leaving their partner
at home. I want to change that. Extra care housing
will give people a choice about how and where they
choose to spend their later life."
The Department of Health has already allocated £147
million to Local Authorities for extra care housing between
2004 and 2008. This further £80 million, bringing
the total investment to £227 million, will be allocated
over the next two years to the 25 successful
schemes.
70. GPs told to cut antibiotics usage
22 July 2008 – BBC News
English and Welsh doctors are being told not to hand
out antibiotics for common coughs and colds to save
the NHS millions of pounds a year. In 2007, some
38m prescriptions for antibiotics were written by doctors
in the UK which cost the NHS £175m.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical (Nice)
says the drugs do little to help cure coughs and colds.
For full report click here
71. Trust agrees GP-led health centre
22 July 2008 – BBC News
NHS Norfolk has approved the first “polyclinic” in the
county. The new GP-led health centre will replace
the Broadland-based Dussindale walk-in centre with
extra services. NHS Norfolk were not obliged to replace
the Dussindale centre, it said it would not be
cost-effective to keep it open.
As well as drop-in doctor appointments, the new Norwich
centre will offer minor surgery and blood testing.
For full report click ere
NHS
72. £3,000-a-month drug is free abroad
27 July 2008 - The Sunday Times
Article about the apparent discrepancy of medical
treatments in England as compared with other countries
in Europe. A comparison was made with France
and a statement made that the NHS can no longer
aspire to provide the range of the latest treatments.
73. Survey finds foundation trusts' hidden
private income
24 July 2008 - Health Service Journal
Foundation trusts earned up to £70m more income
from private patients last year than their accounts
show, a confidential report for the regulator Monitor
suggests.
Monitor commissioned the report in the wake of a
judicial review launched by Unison. The union had
challenged the legality of the regulator's interpretation
of the statutory cap on the proportion of income foundation
trusts can earn from private patients.
74. NHS referral to treatment (RTT) times
data May 2008
24 July 2008 - COI
Main Points
* Data is being published on Referral to Treatment
(RTT) times for patients whose 18 week clock
stopped during May 2008.
* Data for admitted patients (patients whose 18 week
clock stopped with an inpatient/ day case admission)
has been published each month since June 2007 on
an unadjusted basis.
* Data for admitted patients (patients whose 18 week
clock stopped with an inpatient/ day case admission)
has been published each month since March 2008
on an adjusted basis.
* Data for non-admitted patients (patients whose 18
week clock stopped during the month for reasons
other than an inpatient/day case admission) and incomplete
RTT times for patients whose 18 week
clock is still running was published for the first time in
November 2007.
* The NHS Improvement Plan, published in July
2004, stated "By 2008, no one will have to wait
longer than 18 weeks from GP referral to hospital
treatment..." - DH PSA target 13. This data is being
used to monitor progress towards this target. For
admitted patients, adjusted data is used to assess
performance.
Please find all tables at :
http://www.performance.doh.gov.uk/rtt/definitions.html
75. NHS Local
23 July 2008 – DoH
Document setting out the rationale and guidance for
primary care trusts' freedom to re-name their trusts
as NHS Local.
For full report click here
76. Hospitals trust stays MRSA free
23 July 2008 – BBC News
Southport and Omskirk NHS Trusts have records
show they have been MRSA free since last year.
The Trust is one of seven non-specialist trusts to record
no cases between December 2007 and March
2008.
For full report click here
77. Towards a framework for postregistration
nursing careers: consultation
response report
23 July 2008 – DoH
A document reporting on the findings from the postregistration
nursing careers consultation. The consultation
took place from November 2007 to February
2008 and proposed aligning nurses' careers within
five broad pathways.
For full report click here
78. Framing the nursing and midwifery contribution:
driving up the quality of care