This article examines the realities of giving evidence at an Inquest hearing and provides practical guidance and tips for witnesses.
Moving forward from the Pilot Project, this article considers the types of budget, and potential future challenges for personal health budgets and CCGs in meeting an individual's health and wellbeing needs.
Monitor is currently undertaking a consultation on its draft guidance on the new NHS (PPCC) Regulations that came into effect on 1 April 2013 amidst concerns that all NHS contracts would be subject to procurement.
This Update contains brief details of recent Government publications, legislation, cases and other developments relevant to those involved in health and social care work, which have been published in the last month.
It must be disconcerting for anyone working in the NHS to read of the nation’s adoration of the service, and then see how NHS-bating has become a national sport. Hidden away from the limelight of the Response to the Francis report is a small example of the relentless scrutiny faced by healthcare practitioners in the form of the Court of Appeal judgment in R (Sreedharan) v Coroner for Greater Manchester [2013] EWCA Civ 181. There are a number of important lessons in this case, not least that the scope and intensity of an inquest involving healthcare issues can still be an intimidating arena for Trusts and their staff.
Monitor has issued its latest guidance “Quality Governance:
How does a board know that its organisation is working effectively to improve patient care?”
The Guidance is addressed to boards of NHS provider organisations.
However, it has application across a range of functions, including senior management, internal and clinical audit, and clinical and nursing services.
The Government has published its response to the consultation on reforming the judicial review process that was issued in December 2012. Despite admitting that most respondents opposed the proposals and criticised the consultation process, the Government is pressing ahead with reforms that it considers are necessary to target large numbers of “weak, frivolous and unmeritorious cases”.
Many of the initial commissioning contracts put in place for the transfer of PCT provider arms to new providers under the Transforming Community Services initiative will come to an end in less than a year on 31 March 2014. CCGs will need to rapidly address replacement arrangements including how this may advance the transformation of community services and deliver improvements in quality and cost effectiveness. This is particularly the case where procurement will be needed to select the new provider(s).
In this article we address some of the key issues that commissioners will need to consider in putting in place the new arrangements.