Issue 3: 11 September 2014
Quality and Safety eBulletin
Welcome to the Quality and Safety eBulletin
This eBulletin brings you the latest news from key national agencies and initiatives across
the UK, under themed headings.
We welcome your feedback on the eBulletin. Please contact us at
qualityandsafety@rcn.org.uk.
Claire Constable, Sarah Raybone and Ross Scrivener
RCN Nursing Department
RCN highlights
Open House Day - Looking behind the scenes at the Royal College of Nursing. On Saturday 20
September the Royal College of Nursing’s building at 20 Cavendish Square will be open to the
public as part of Open House London. Take a look behind the scenes at the RCN’s historic building,
which features a mix of old and new architecture, including an incredible Baroque painted staircase
from 1730, original features from the 1700s and later architectural solutions. There will be guided
tours of the historic rooms at 20 Cavendish Square, which will begin at 10am and run every half
an hour until 4.00pm. There is no advance booking – just turn up on the day. Open House London
is your opportunity to get out and get under the skin of the amazing architecture in every London
neighbourhood.
Employing nurses in local authorities (PDF 253KB). This new guidance has been developed by the
RCN in collaboration with colleagues from the Local Government Association (LGA) in order to
support nurses employed in local authorities and those employing them. It outlines the key
principles for consideration for nurses working within local authority teams and for those
employing them and providing line management, clinical support and supervision. It is specifically
relevant where a local authority is seeking to recruit a person with a current and active nursing
registration that is identified as being an essential or desirable part of the person specification for
the post.
Antimicrobial resistance (PDF 460KB). This Royal College of Nursing (RCN) publication describes
the contribution that nurses and nursing can make at an international, national and local level to
reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). To achieve successful reductions in antimicrobial
resistance all disciplines within the health, social care and public health workforce must be
engaged and contributing to the delivery of local and national programmes aimed at reducing AMR
and improving population health. The document has been developed to stimulate discussion and
ensure nurses are fully involved and engaged with initiatives and actions that impact on AMR. As
nurses are a large part of the health care workforce, the benefits they bring should be clearly
identified and articulated at all levels so that their full contribution can be recognised, encouraged
and facilitated.
Politics-proof infection control strategy needed to tackle threat of antimicrobial resistance.
RCN position statement on EU Report. The RCN has been involved in an advisory capacity, on a
European report which has mapped the position in relation to the education, regulation and
training of Healthcare assistants (HCAs) across the EU. The report also makes a series of
recommendations in relation to HCAs. The RCN has produced a briefing and position statement on
the report and will continue to work closely with key stakeholders to shape further work in this
area.
Openness in NHS is essential. The RCN has welcomed the recent call for evidence issued by Sir
Robert Francis, as his review into whistleblowing in the NHS gets underway. Commissioned by the
Department of Health in England and called Freedom to speak up, the aim of the review is to help
create an open and honest reporting culture in the NHS. The scope of the review is confined to
England, but it is expected that its findings and recommendations will be of interest across the UK.
See also: Freedom to speak up.
The Government must not use the NHS Pay Review Body for its political ends. The RCN has
responded to the Government's letter to the NHS Pay Review Body.
RCN Bulletin September 2014. This issue includes articles on: admiral nurses; openness in the
NHS; nursing innovation and the RCN nurse of the year Sarah Lewis.
Autumn Library & Heritage Centre event programme. The new autumn events leaflet is now out in
the Library & Heritage Centre and main reception.
NICE Consultation Gateway
The NICE consultation gateway pages provide information about the work that NICE does, current
NICE consultations and new topics for guideline and guidance development, and how you can get
involved. We will highlight these pages in every bulletin.
You can find out the latest on NICE consultations and new topics in development at Current
consultations and topics in development.
RCN events
The RCN organises an annual programme of events and conferences, including RCN Congress, to
support all health care professionals with their personal and professional development. See:

RCN national events
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England regions and branches

Northern Ireland
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Scotland
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Wales.
Events
Front Line Nursing: Then and Now: Defence Nursing Forum and the History of Nursing Society
study day. This conference takes place at RCN Headquarters on the 14 October 2014. This event is
designed to provide the RCN with an opportunity for public engagement at a time when both
nurses and the general public will have a heightened awareness of nursing in wartime.
RCN Advanced Nurse Practitioner forum conference. This conference takes place at RCN
Headquarters on the 17 October 2014. It is open to all ANP’s or aspiring ANP’s the event will also
address education and clinical issues and facilitate the sharing of developments in advanced
nursing practice and medicines management.
RCN Nurses in Management and Leadership conference 2014. This conference takes place at RCN
Headquarters on the 11 November 2014. This conference is for nurse leaders who work at ward
manager level or equivalent in both the NHS and independent sector.
Quality improvement
Care Quality Commission. Inspecting more GP practices near you. The CQC will be inspecting NHS
GP practices in the following clinical commissioning groups as part of their ongoing testing of their
new inspection approach.
CQC. New proposals for dental care regulation. The CQC has published plans on the way they will
inspect dental care services from 2015, which considers whether every inspection team should
include a dental specialist advisor and people with experience of receiving dental care.
Clinical Audit Support Centre. eNewsletter, Issue 65. September 2014 issue now available.
Guidelines and Audit Implementation Network (GAIN). Audit of parenteral fluid therapy for children
and young persons. This audit was undertaken to ascertain the safety of the prescription and
administration, recording and monitoring of intravenous (IV) fluids to children aged over four
weeks and under 16 years.
Healthcare Inspectorate Wales. Dignity and Essential Care Inspection (DECI) report for Cardiff and
Vale University Health Board published. Healthcare Inspectorate Wales (HIW) has published a
report following an unannounced Dignity and Essential Care inspection to Ward A4 of University
Hospital for Wales, part of Cardiff and Vale University Health Board. The Inspection was
undertaken on 11 June 2014.
Guidance, innovation, tools
College of Occupational Therapists. Living well through activity in care homes: the toolkit. This
toolkit is a free online resource full of practical ideas of how to support care home residents to live
their lives doing the day-to-day activities that are important to them. The toolkit promotes dignity
and respect, mental and physical wellbeing and integration into the community. It includes free
training materials and audit tools to review and evidence aspects of care such as personalisation
and choice.
Motor Neurone Disease Association. Red Flags Tool. Produced with the Royal College of General
Practitioners (RCGP) this tool aims to help with early diagnosis of MND and reduce inaccurate
referrals and therefore reduce the time to diagnosis.
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). NIHR funded 'smart glasses' project wins £500,000
Google award for further development and trial. Since the initial i4i R&D funding, Dr Hicks and his
colleagues in Oxford have developed the 'smart glasses' further with various investments. The
NIHR project is also still being funded by i4i to progress an early prototype of the low-cost visual
aid glasses, including clinical trials, in order to produce a commercial model and prepare it for
market.
NHS England. Sustainable Cancer Drugs Fund. NHS England has pledged a £160m boost over two
years for the Cancer Drugs Fund, giving more patients access to innovative drugs not routinely
available on the NHS.
NHS Improving Quality. Health care social movements recognised in national list of innovative
practice. The School for Health and Care Radicals and NHS Change Day, which are supported by
NHS Improving Quality, have both been included on the 2014 New Radicals list, compiled by
Nesta, the UK's innovation foundation, and The Observer.
NHS Improving Quality. Exploring the Commissioning of Personalisation within a Capitated Budget
Model. Exploring the Commissioning of Personalisation within a Capitated Budget Model describes
the findings of a round table event to look at how capitated budgets for people with complex
health needs could support personal budgets for people with two or more long term conditions. It
sets out a number of key messages around practical implementation, including current barriers
and solutions for overcoming them.
Public Health England. National Child Measurement Programme operational guidance. National
child measurement programme operational guidance is issued as part of the government’s
commitment to tackling the public health challenge of excess weight. This guidance advises local
commissioners and providers of the national child measurement programme on its
implementation.
Social Care Institute for Excellence. Help with the Care Act. SCIE is developing a range of
resources that will help you to understand and implement the Care Act 2014.
Practice examples and case studies
FoNS Centre for Innovation. Developing, Implementing and Evaluating a Therapeutic Model in the
Day Care Centre Setting at the Hazel Centre at Countess Mountbatten House. Staff at the
Countess Mountbatten House wanted a programme which was supportive and enabling to promote
independence and wellbeing, giving patients with a terminal diagnosis of cancer practical
information and nursing and psychological support. The Therapeutic Programme they developed
was modified as a result of patient, carer and professional feedback. Feedback, including using an
adapted emotional touchpoints exercise, has been very positive.
Guardian Health. Weekend staff shortages are the fatal flaw at the heart of the NHS. This new NHS
blog features NHS staff talking about the issues that affect their working lives. This post centres on
a hospital doctor’s thoughts around seven day care.
Guardian Health. Can we solve Britain’s obesity crisis with gastric surgery? It worked for
me. Patient account of the treatment that worked for her.
Reports, commentary, statistics
2020 Health. Growing older positively: the challenge of ageing with HIV. This report reviews how
HIV is strategically planned for and managed in the UK today and develops recommendations for
Government and the NHS in light of changes in the patient profile.
Age UK. Housing in later life. This analysis finds that unsuitable housing is leaving thousands of
older people facing unnecessary delays in being discharged from hospital. Official figures show that
patients who need home adaptations, such as grab rails or ramps fitted at home, are having to
wait for an extra 27 days on average– more than 40,000 days in total – costing an estimated
£11.2 million per year in delayed discharges. This report calls on the Government to ensure that
all new homes are built to the lifetime homes standard so they can be easily adapted as people
age.
Centre for Health Economics. The cost of specialised care. The latest CHE RP103 finds little overlap
between the SSNDS and PSS definitions of specialised hospital care and estimates the additional
costs of specialised care under each definitional system.
Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England. A new settlement for health and
social care. This is the final report from the independent Commission on the Future of Health and
Social Care in England. In it, the commission discusses the need for a new settlement for health
and social care to provide a simpler pathway through the current maze of entitlements. The
commission, chaired by Kate Barker, proposes a new approach that redesigns care around
individual needs regardless of diagnosis, with a graduated increase in support as needs rise,
particularly towards the end of life. The commission has concluded that this vision for a health and
care system fit for the 21st century is affordable and sustainable if a phased approach is taken and
hard choices are taken about taxation.
Illustrated summary of the Barker Commission's final report.
RCN response to the Commission on the Future of Health and Social Care in England: A new
settlement for health and social care.
King’s Fund. A new settlement for health and social care.
Commission on Residential Care. A vision for care fit for the twenty-first century. The Commission
recommends a number of measures to embed good practice and challenge public perceptions.
These include enshrining a broader, more accurate definition of ‘housing with care’ throughout
government policy; greater co-location of care settings with other community services such as
colleges; the expansion of CQC’s role in inspecting commissioning practices; and promoting
excellence in the profession through the introduction of a license to practice and a living wage. The
Commission concludes that these measures, among others, could help build a housing with care
sector fit for the twenty-first century.
DH. Chief Medical Officer annual report: public mental health. CMO, Professor Dame Sally C
Davies, makes 14 recommendations to improve public mental health services. The report looks at
the epidemiology of public mental health, the quality of evidence, possible future innovations in
science and technology, and the economic case for good mental health. It also outlines the
importance of both treating mental health as equal to physical health and of focusing on the needs
and safety of people with mental illness.
BBC Health News. Chief medical officer: Make mental health bigger priority.
Department of Health (DH). Establishing food standards for NHS hospitals. The report looks at
standards relating to patient nutrition and hydration, healthier eating across hospitals and
sustainable food and catering services. NHS adoption of the recommended standards will be
required through the NHS contract meaning that hospitals will have a legal duty to comply with the
recommendations.
BBC Health News. New hospital food rules introduced.
Guardian Health. Jeremy Hunt tells hospitals they must serve up better and healthier food.
Hospital food camapigners say new standards are not good enough- video.
Guardian Health. 5,000 A&E patients waited over 4 hours in worst week for nearly 18
months. After 59 consecutive weeks of failure to meet targets, there are serious
concerns for emergency departments' ability to cope.
Health and Social Care Information Centre. Data on Written Complaints in the NHS - 201314. Health and Social Care Information Centre has published its official figures for the number of
written complaints received by the NHS reporting a total of 174,872 for 2013/14.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Healthcare Associated Infection (HAI) Draft standards. The
prevention and control of infection throughout healthcare is everyone’s responsibility and is a
major component in the drive towards a safer NHSScotland. Feedback is welcomed to help shape
the final standards. All comments must be received by 24 September 2014.
NHS Wales. Four additional screening tests to be offered to newborns in Wales. From early next
year, “heel prick” blood samples taken from newborn babies will be tested for four additional
metabolic disorders; glutaric aciduria type 1, homocystinuria, isovaleric acidaemia and maple
syrup urine disease.
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Health, austerity and economic
crisis: assessing the short-term impact in OECD countries. This paper looks at the impact of
economic crisis on health and health care. It summarises findings from published literature on the
effects of economic crisis that took place over the past few decades and also describes recent
health policy reforms, focusing on those countries where the economic crisis has hit hardest. It
also analyses the empirical relationship between unemployment and health care use, quality and
health outcomes, using data from OECD Health Statistics.
Queen’s Nursing Institute (QNI). QNI’s Homeless Health Network report. The summary report
results from an online survey completed by 184 community nurses and other health professionals
working with patients experiencing homelessness. It shows the challenges faced by homeless
people in accessing healthcare and by the nurses and other health professionals who deliver their
care.
Regional Voices. Voluntary and community sector (VCS) engagement with HWBs. This report
contains results from a survey conducted earlier this year about how the VCS is engaging with
health HWBs. The survey found that some good practice for how boards involve the VCS, is
emerging. However, some issues remain.
Scottish Government. The Scottish Government has published two improvement plans:
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Heart Disease Improvement Plan. The Heart Disease Improvement Plan sets out the
priorities and actions to deliver improved prevention, treatment and care for all people in
Scotland affected by heart disease.
Stroke Improvement Plan. The Stroke Improvement Plan sets out the priorities and actions
to deliver improved prevention, treatment and care for all people in Scotland affected by
stroke.
Scottish Government. Driving Improvement: Implementing Realising Potential. This document
reflects on the progress that has been made through implementation of the Realising Potential
policy and considers how the future should be shaped. It captures the reflections of some key
players who have been instrumental in visioning, developing and implementing the policy.
Welsh Government. NHS GP referrals for first out-patient appointments. A monthly report showing
data by local health board.
Welsh Government. Admission of patients to mental health facilities. An annual report which
includes information on admissions, formal admissions under the Mental Health Act 1983 and other
legislation and supervised community treatment.
World Health Organization. Preventing suicide: a global imperative. This report aims to increase
awareness of the public health significance of suicide and suicide attempts, to make suicide
prevention a higher priority on the global public health agenda, and to encourage and support
countries to develop or strengthen comprehensive suicide prevention strategies in a multisectoral
public health approach.
Patient safety
Guardian Health. One in five child deaths in England is preventable. Three papers by experts
published in the Lancet medical journal say that more could be done to bring the death rates
down. The reasons why children die vary from birth defects to premature delivery to neglect and
abuse and accidents in the home and on the roads when they are older, but in many areas there is
scope for improvement.
Guardian Health. Double mastectomy for breast cancer ‘does not boast survival chances’. A double
mastectomy operation results in the same mortality rates as having lumps removed and
undergoing radiotherapy. Women with breast cancer who opt for a double mastectomy to beat the
disease do not increase their chances of survival, according to new research.
International Society for Quality in Health Care (ISQUA). Why applying human factors and
ergonomics is important to patient safety. A webinar presented by Agnès Leotsakos (Programme
Lead, Education and Global Capacity Building, Safety and Quality of Care in Service Delivery,
World Health Organization) for ISQua covering how human factors and ergonomics can address
patient safety issues.
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. Unhelpful information about adverse drug
reactions. The British Medical Journal has published an MHRA letter on adverse drug reactions.
NHS England. Risks arising from breakdown and failure to act on communication during handover
at the time of discharge from secondary care. This patient safety alert has been issued by NHS
England as part of its work to improve the quality and timeliness of communication with primary
and social care when patients are discharged from hospital. It is asking organisations for
information about their current local practices and challenges that will help form a national picture
around handover at discharge. They are also being asked to provide examples of successful local
initiatives designed to improve their discharge handover processes.
NHS England. Patient safety alert – resources to support the prompt recognition of sepsis and the
rapid initiation of treatment. NHS England has issued a patient safety alert to continue to raise
awareness of sepsis and to signpost clinicians in the ambulance service, primary and community
services and secondary care to resources developed by the UK Sepsis Trust, and others. These
resources support the prompt recognition and initiation of treatments for all patients suspected of
having sepsis.
NICE. Improve recording of drug allergy to reduce risk of reactions. NICE says the risk of allergic
reactions can be reduced if prescriptions are redesigned to include information on drugs or drug
classes that patients with a known drug allergy should avoid.
PLoS Medicine. Patient-safety-related hospital deaths in England: Thematic analysis of incidents
reported to a national database, 2010–2012. “This paper reports on an analysis of deaths in
English hospitals that had patient safety implications. The (adult) deaths were recorded in the UK
National Health Service and covered 2,010 incidents involving patients aged 16 and over in acute
hospital settings. The aim of the study was to classify reports of deaths due to unsafe care into
broad areas of systemic failure capable of being addressed by stronger policies, procedures, and
practices.”
Evidence based practice
BMC Health Services Research. Patient and public attitudes to and awareness of clinical practice
guidelines: a systematic review with thematic and narrative syntheses. This literature review
sought to assess public awareness of and attitudes towards clinical practice guidelines.
Researchers found awareness of guidelines to be low and recommended that guideline producers
make clear how the information can be used to make healthcare improvements.
DH. Rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin: administering Ig SRCN 0022. Advisory letter to health
professionals on how to administer post-exposure rabies vaccination with rabies immunoglobulin
(RIG) SRCN0022.
Evaluation Support Scotland. Evidence for success: the guide to getting evidence and using it. This
guide offers easy to follow, step-by-step guidance and resources to support organisations using
evidence to influence policy and practice.
FoNS Centre for Nursing Innovation. Knowing why we do what we do - Establishing a Unit Practice
Council to Improve Evidence Based Nursing Practice in Acute Medicine using Appreciative Inquiry.
This fascinating report describes how, supported by the Foundation of Nursing Studies, a nursing
team developed a Unit Practice Council to implement change in an acute healthcare setting using a
shared governance approach. Shared governance is a style of nursing management which
empowers frontline staff to be involved in the decisions made about their practice. The Unit
Practice Council was involved in improvements in many areas of practice.
Knowledge Transition Network (KTN). Evidence for Success: the guide to getting evidence and
using it. This guide offers easy to follow, step-by-step guidance and resources to support
organisations to use evidence to influence policy and practice. It also provides guidance on the use
of evidence to influence funding and commissioning decisions and highlights other key resources.
NICE. Tailored resource for carers and care providers on supporting people to live well with
dementia. This resource is aimed at both care providers and carers focusing on the key messages
from each quality statement relative to each audience.
SCIE. Dementia and older people. The NICE Collaborating Centre for Social Care (NCCSC) has
produced some new resources to support the implementation of two NICE social care quality
standards.
NICE clinical guideline. Drug allergy: diagnosis and management of drug allergy in adults, children
and young people (CG183). This clinical guideline offers evidence-based advice on the diagnosis
and management of drug allergy in adults, children and young people.
See also: Drug allergy overview pathway.
NICE. Clinical Guidelines published:

CG184 Dyspepsia Guideline Published. Dyspepsia and gastro-oesophageal reflux disease:
Investigation and management of dyspepsia, symptoms suggestive of gastro-oesophageal
reflux disease, or both

CG183 Drug Allergy. This clinical guideline offers evidence-based advice on the diagnosis
and management of drug allergy in adults, children and young people
NICE. Quality Standard: Acute Coronary Syndromes (including Myocardial Infarction) QS68. NICE
quality standards describe high-priority areas for quality improvement in a defined care or service
area. Each standard consists of a prioritised set of specific, concise and measurable statements.
They draw on existing guidance, which provides an underpinning, comprehensive set of
recommendations, and are designed to support the measurement of improvement.
NICE. Workplace interventions to promote smoking cessation. Review decision published.
NICE. Hospitals urged to tackle incorrect use of drips. Every hospital should appoint an intravenous
(IV) fluids lead to help ensure that patients receive the correct dosage and type of fluid, says
NICE.
NICE. NICE approves jaw replacement surgery. NICE has recommended the use of jaw
replacement surgery for people who have pain and difficulty opening their mouth and are unable
to eat a normal diet. Temporomandibular joint symptoms are relatively common and can occur in
approximately 20-30 per cent of the adult population.
Public Health England (PHE). Infection control in schools. Guidance for school staff on hygiene and
vaccination.
PHE. Immunisation against infectious disease. This guidance is revised recommendations for the
administration of more than one live vaccine.
Institute for Health Research (NIHR). Frequency of visual field testing when monitoring patients
newly diagnosed with glaucoma: mixed methods and modelling. This study explores the clinical
effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of using different monitoring intervals to detect visual field
progression in newly diagnosed glaucoma patients.
Royal College of Radiologists. Guidelines for nursing care in interventional radiology. The RCN has
recently endorsed these guidelines. This document outlines the issues, sets out models for nursing
staff and describes the role of the interventional radiology nurse in the management of patients
who are undergoing interventional radiology treatment.
Patient focus
BMC Nursing. Linking patient satisfaction with nursing care: the case of care rationing - a
correlational study. “Implicit rationing of nursing care is the withholding of or failure to carry out
all necessary nursing measures due to lack of resources. There is evidence supporting a link
between rationing of nursing care, nurses' perceptions of their professional environment, negative
patient outcomes, and placing patient safety at risk.”
BMC Nursing. The power of consoling presence - hospice nurses' lived experience with spiritual and
existential care for the dying. “Consoling existential and spiritual distress is a deeply personal and
relational practice. Nurses have a potential to alleviate existential and spiritual suffering through
consoling presence. By connecting deeply with patients and their families, nurses have the
possibility to affirm the patients' strength and facilitate their courage to live a meaningful life and
die a dignified death.”
Guardian Health. Should doctors face tougher sanctions for harming patients- Poll. The General
Medical Council is considering tougher sanctions against doctors who make mistakes in the care of
patients.
Guardian Health. Health and social care must be radically reshaped around need. Social care needs
to be much more generously funded. Population projections indicate that the numbers needing
social care are likely to rise significantly for at least the next 20 years.
Guardian Health. Gay people report worse experiences with GPs. Gay people are less likely to have
a positive experience with their family doctor than their heterosexual peers, researchers have
found. Lesbian, gay or bisexual people are up to 50% more likely than heterosexuals to report
negative experiences with the GP services.
Guardian Health. Skin cancer hospital admissions leap by 40 per cent in five years. There has been
a significant rise in admissions for skin cancers, which are largely preventable, the British
Association of Dermatologists said.
Guardian Health. Walking a mile a day can cut the risk of cancer by 40 per cent. Exercise can
reduce the chance of dying from breast or prostate cancer and help with treatment side effects.
People with two of the most common forms of cancer can cut their risk of dying from the disease
by as much as 40 per cent simply by walking for a mile a day, Macmillan Cancer Support has
claimed.
Health and Social Care Information Centre. One in six hospital sites score 100 per cent on
cleanliness in patient-led assessments. 218 hospital sites (16.1 per cent) scored 100 per cent for
cleanliness in the latest Patient-Led Assessments of the Care Environment (PLACE) report. The
report by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) saw 1,356 hospital sites
assessed.
King’s Fund. Growing older positively: the challenge of ageing with HIV. "For HIV, as for so many
life-threatening conditions, medical science is now enabling us to live longer, but this is not
enough. We need also to be able to live well. The kind of analysis into how that can be achieved
that this report delivers is an essential part of the next chapter of HIV in the UK."
Monitor and NHS England. Patient choice: our survey reveals more needs to be done. A recent
survey from Monitor and NHS England has revealed that the NHS needs to make sure more people
are aware that they have a choice of where to receive treatment. Although over 50 per cent of
patients were aware of their legal right to choose a hospital or clinic for an outpatient
appointment, fewer than two-fifths said they were offered a choice by their GP.
National Voices. Person centred care 2020: calls and contributions from health and social care
charities. This report sets out demands for genuinely person centred care. It warns that services
are increasingly fragmented and underfunded, with too little voice for patients and families, and
says that fully involving people in decisions is the key to improvement.
National Voices. No assumptions: a narrative for personalised, coordinated care and support in
mental health. This resource describes the critical outcomes and success factors in the care,
support and treatment of people who use mental health services, from their perspective. It is
aimed at NHS and council commissioners and providers of services to organise person-centred
care and recovery-oriented support for mental and physical health and to know when they are
achieving it.
NHS England. Personalised mental health resource. NHS England’s Clinical Director for Mental
Health, Geraldine Strathdee has welcomed the launch of a new mental health resource which
describes what personalised, coordinated care and support looks like.
NHS England. Friends and Family Test, July 2014. NHS England has published the latest statistical
data on the Friends and Family Test. The information contains A&E, Inpatient and Maternity data.
Scottish Government. Scottish Inpatient Patient Experience Survey 2014 Volume 1: National
Results. Over 21,000 patients took part in the fourth national inpatient patient experience survey.
The survey included a range of questions covering topics such as accident and emergency, care
and treatment, staff, leaving hospital and care and support at home. Overall, patients reported a
more positive experience than the previous survey, with ‘overall’ ratings improving for all but one
section of the survey (care and support services after leaving hospital), which itself stayed the
same.
The Medical Independent. ‘Sorry’ — the hardest word? This feature article in the Irish Medical
Independent examines open disclosure in light of the (Irish) Health Services Executive release of
its Open Disclosure Policy and Guidelines, focusing on the legal aspects of open disclosure.
Think Local Act Personal. Getting serious about personalisation in the NHS. This report
complements the NHS England prospectus for the Integrated Personal Commissioning Programme
being taken forward with support from local government and voluntary sectors as well as people
who need care and support, their families and carers.
eHealth
BMC Health Services Research. Implementing electronic health records in hospitals: a systematic
literature review. "The literature on implementing Electronic Health Records (EHR) in hospitals is
very diverse. The objective of this study is to create an overview of the existing literature on EHR
implementation in hospitals and to identify generally applicable findings and lessons for
implementers.”
Care Inspectorate. Far from home. A computer game to help children in care understand their
rights has received international acclaim from the International Serious Play Awards. Far From
Home is an online 3D adventure game made for the Care Inspectorate, Scotland's care watchdog.
The game explores themes of trust, consequence and unfamiliarity in an action-packed and
strange alien world.
Human factors in healthcare. Wearable technology: clothing designed to save your life. Work is
being undertaken to develop a smartphone and wireless capacity that epileptic patients could wear
which would detect them having an epileptic seizure. Patients would wear a t-shirt and optional
cap at home, and biometric sensors would feed information to a smartphone app. This would
replace the current way of diagnosing epilepsy which involves hooking up a patient to a machine
via an array of cabling.
Journal of Medical Internet Research. Baby Boomers’ Adoption of Consumer Health Technologies:
Survey on Readiness and Barriers. As they age, baby boomers (born 1946-1964) will have
increasing medical needs and are likely to place large demand on health care resources. This study
explores how baby boomers’ readiness to use various technologies for health purposes compares
to other segments of the adult population.
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Innovative EU project on the use
of smartphones and social media for drug safety information. The Medicines and Healthcare
Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is leading a consortium of organisations including European
medicines regulators, academics and the pharmaceutical industry in a three year project to
develop new ways of gathering information on suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency. UK regulator leads innovative EU project on
the use of smartphones and social media for drug safety information. The Medicines and
Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is leading a consortium of organisations including
European medicines regulators, academics and the pharmaceutical industry in a three year project
to develop new ways of gathering information on suspected adverse drug reactions (ADRs).
MIT Technology Review. Heart and breathing rates tracked with Google Glass. Besides projecting
directions and e-mails in front of your face, Google Glass can also measure biological signs like
heart and breathing rates, according to new research.
NHS Education for Scotland. NEWS: National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and Sepsis Screening
Tool. The National Early Warning Score (NEWS) and Sepsis Screening tools are now available for
iPhone and Android. The app has been registered with the Medicines and Healthcare products
Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as a medical device and was recently shortlisted for the British
Computer Society Health Informatics Awards.
NHS Wales. New way to e-learning routes. A newly launched national e-learning site is now
offering the same courses wherever you are based in NHS Wales and gives staff an online record
they can take wherever they move within the health service.
NIHR. Facilitating technology adoption in the NHS: negotiating the organisational and policy
context - a qualitative study. The organisational and policy context for the adoption and
implementation of clinical technologies, notably payment by results, may present barriers that
slow – or even prevent – uptake. This study, published by the National Institute for Health
Research in the UK, focused on three clinical technologies supported by the NHS Technology
Adoption Centre to assess differences in adoption. The researchers noted a "bottom-up" adoption
culture that led to important differences in the availability of new technologies to patients at
different hospital centres.
Public Health England (PHE). Health protection content now on GOV.UK. PHE’s health protection
resources have been brought together on the single website for government information.
PHE. Remote health advice bulletin. This bulletin monitors the numbers of people calling NHS 111
for health advice.
Technology Review. Infant Fingerprinting Could Help Track Vaccinations. Biometrics researchers
are using off-the-shelf fingerprint sensors and new software to track vaccination records of young
children in Africa.
Staff focus
BBC News Health. South England hospitals ‘failing to meet nurse levels. Hospitals in the south of
England are failing to provide the recommended number of nursing staff on wards. BBC South
found 78 per cent of nursing shifts on acute wards were not being staffed to meet agreed Royal
College of Nursing safe levels.
DH. National flu programme training slide set for healthcare professionals. A training resource for
healthcare practitioners.
Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Ready to lead? Developing the skills that drive change. “This
short series of articles, first published in British Journal of Healthcare Management, endeavours to
cut through the wealth of published research and learned opinion, to draw out some of the key
behaviours, skills, and attributes necessary to successful quality improvement leadership.”
King’s Fund. Improving NHS Care by Engaging Staff and Devolving Decision-Making. Report of the
Review of Staff Engagement and Empowerment in the NHS (PDF 2.6MB). There is compelling
evidence that organisations in which staff report that they are engaged and valued deliver better
quality care, have lower mortality rates and better patient experience. This King's Fund report
presents evidence on the relationship between staff engagement, patient experience and
organizational performance. It looks at the role of leaders and managers in creating a culture of
engagement in different organizational forms, and makes recommendations.
Learning@NHSWales. E-learning for staff makes courses more accessible. A newly launched elearning site is now offering a full range of national statutory online courses accessible to NHS
Wales staff wherever they are based. The site also gives staff an online record of their courses
completed they can take wherever and whenever they move within the health service.
NHS England. Speciality recruitment round launched. A recruitment round for specialty training
has been launched. Those specialties being recruited to include Acute Common Care Stem (ACCS)
emergency medicine, core psychiatry and anaesthetics, geriatric medicine, higher emergency
medicine and general practice.
NHS Employers. Implications of a raised retirement age - factsheet for employees. This factsheet
for employees gives key information on the implications of a raised retirement age and what it
means for NHS staff.
See also: Implications of a raised retirement age - factsheet for employers
Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Changes to overseas registration for applicants educated
outside the European Union (EU) and European Economic Area (EEA). From the autumn of 2014,
nurses and midwives who completed their training outside the EU and EEA will be subject to new
assessments of the eligibility to gain entry to the NMC register. The new procedures aim to ensure
that the hundreds of nurses and midwives who trained overseas and wish to practise in the UK are
assessed in a robust and objective way.
RCN. The Government must not use the NHS Pay Review Body for its political ends. The RCN has
responded to the Government's letter to the NHS Pay Review Body.
RCN. Bonus culture is cold comfort for nursing staff. The RCN has commented on new figures
showing that annual bonuses in the UK have risen to more than £40 billion.
Find out more about the RCN's What If? campaign for fair pay.
Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) Good surgical practice. This guidance outlines the standards of
practice that are expected of all surgeons as well as the skills, values and attitudes that underpin
the profession and has been developed with surgeons and patient groups. It highlights surgical
leadership and teamwork as crucial for achieving high-quality patient care and provides surgeons
with a model that they should aspire to in day to day practice.
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