On 1 April 2013 the assets and liabilities of PCTs and SHAs were transferred to the relevant receivers. However, there will be circumstances where the receiver identified in the Transfer Scheme may not be appropriate. This may be where PCTs were told that changes requested prior to 1 April would not be included and would need to be dealt with through rectification process. Alternatively it may be that the need to change the receiver has come to light since receipt of the final Transfer Scheme.
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.
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.
The National Health Service (Performers Lists) Regulations 2004 were revoked with effect from 1 April 2013. The applicable regulations for England from that date are set out in the National Health Service (Performers Lists) (England) Regulations 2013.
In line with the regulatory changes, NHS England has published guidance in relation to its new policy and procedures relating to the identification, management and support of underperforming performers. This document summarises some of the key elements of that guidance.
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.
Sarah Michael provides an update on two recent employment law developments affecting the heath sector: the Government has published its ‘key early priorities’ in response to the Mid Staffordshire Inquiry, and NHS Employers has published its amendments to Agenda for Change terms and conditions of employment, incorporating the changes agreed by the NHS Staff Council.
The Government has issued its initial response to the Francis Report of the Mid-Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust Public Inquiry. It sets out a five point plan intended to herald an end to failure and a call for excellence. This article gives a summary of what the plan will cover.
On 27 March 2012, the Health and Social Care Bill received Royal Assent and became the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The provisions are being brought into force by commencement orders and the reforms mean that all Foundation Trusts (“FTs”) and Aspirant Trusts will need to revisit their Constitutions and to begin making preparations to revise these to ensure that they are consistent with the Act. We appreciate that you’ve already had to make amendments, but such changes won’t be enough for this year, you will need to do substantially more.