Health and Social Care Update - February 2022

Bevan Brittan provides high quality, comprehensive advice to the NHS, independent healthcare sector and local authorities. This update contains brief details of recent Government publications, legislation, cases and other developments relevant to those involved in health and social care work, both in the NHS, independent sector and local authorities which have been published in the last month. 

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Training Events	Information Sharing/ Data
Acute and emergency care	Mental Health
Children/young people	Primary Care
Clinical Risk/Patient Safety	Public Health
Digital Health	Regulation
Employment/HR	Social Care
Finance	General
Health Inequalities

 

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Bevan Brittan Free Training Events 

Clinical Risk Webinars
Bevan Brittan Clinical Risk/Health, Care and Regulatory Law Team Training - These are internal hour long lunch time training sessions.  You can sign up to watch the training sessions remotely via our webinar facility. Please contact Claire Bentley. 

A day in the life of a Consultant Obstetrician. Dr Clare Tower, a consultant in Obstetrics and Fetal and Maternal Medicine at St Mary’s Hospital will describe the reality of working on a ward as a consultant obstetrician, decision making and how to prioritise tasks in the context of clinical negligence cases. 1 March at 12.30pm

Challenges of overseas visitors charging regulations. Hospital Trusts are required to charge overseas visitors for certain treatments. This raises difficult questions of identifying overseas visitors and deciding what treatment can or must be provided. David Lawson reviews the cases and draws out how the questions should be approached. 8 March 2022 at 12.30pm

Looking at clinical negligence claims from a Claimant's perspective. This session will consider Claimant concerns and their context in litigation. 15 March at 12.30pm.

Please note that registration for each webinar will close when the webinar starts, so please do ensure you have booked your place in advance to guarantee attendance.  

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Acute and emergency care

Publications/guidance

How do ambulance handover delays vary across England? Handover delays of over 30 minutes have been more common across England this winter than in previous years, but how does the situation vary in different parts of the country? Liz Fisher of the Nuffield Trust takes a closer look.

NHS Key Statistics: England, February 2022 Summary of NHS demand, performance, backlogs, and capacity of services in England. Covers A&E statistics, waiting lists and pressures, ambulance data, delayed discharges, staffing levels including doctors and nurses, and more.

If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around acute and emergency issues please contact Claire Bentley.

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Children and young people 

Publications/Guidance 

State of the nation 2021: children and young people's wellbeing This report collates and presents new analysis of published evidence on the wellbeing of children and young people over the period of August 2020 to July 2021, including statistics on the personal wellbeing of children and young people in England and the UK and a wider set of indicators on their: mental and physical health; education and skills; relationships; activities and time use; views on the self, society, and future; an analysis of Covid-19 and the psychological health of young adults; and an analysis of individual predictors of school attendance in 2020 to 2021.

Young people are the future: how can recruiters encourage more of them to join the NHS workforce? Despite being one of the biggest employers in England, only 6 per cent of the NHS workforce is under 25. In this blog Joni Jabbal explores how more young people can be supported into employment in the NHS.

Physical activity in disabled children and disabled young people: evidence review Findings of a rapid evidence review into the health benefits and potential risks of physical activity for children and young people who have disabilities. How we can help

We can assist in relation to the statutory responsibilities for children under the Coronavirus Act 2020 including decisions around:-

• commissioning and the provision of healthcare and social care;
• isolation and duties toward children in the care and those classed as vulnerable under the Coronavirus ( COVID19 );
• guidance on vulnerable children and young people;
• the delivery of EHCP plans; 
• safeguarding; and,
• all aspects of educational provision including for key workers.

If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around children please contact Deborah Jeremiah or Ruth Shedlow

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Clinical Risk / Patient Safety

Publications/Guidance 

Maternity survey 2021 Statistics on women’s experiences of maternity care in England in February (and also January, for trusts who could not meet the minimum sample size) 2021.

Patient safety in healthcare products and services Shared learning on patient safety and how collaborative working is enabling better assurance and safety for health care products and services. This briefing (produced by NHS Supply Chain) aims to showcase examples of learning related to patient safety, highlighting the role of NHS Supply Chain and other national bodies. It outlines the impact of collaborative working across health care systems to contribute to assurance and patient safety in relation to health care products and services.

Understanding the relationship between social determinants of health and maternal mortality This paper aims to inform those involved in the care of pregnant women in the UK about the relationship between social determinants of health and the risk of maternal death.

Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care. An NHS document sets out a progressive agenda for how it will recover elective care following the backlog caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The plan will: give patients greater control over their own health and offer greater choice of where to get care if they are waiting too long for treatment; increase capacity to deliver more procedures and scans in each of the next three years, to around nine million more tests and checks by 2025; and add new surgical hubs to the network of 122 already operating across the country, helping ensure that unless people chose to postpone, the longest time patients could wait for surgery will be no longer than a year by March 2025. It also sets out how NHS staff will make the best use of additional government funding to begin to address the backlog.

The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review. This briefing provides an overview on the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety review, its findings, and the Government action in response to its recommendations.

Local integrated investigation pilot 2: Incorrect patient details on handover notes. This investigation is the second part of a pilot programme which aims to evaluate HSIB's ability to carry out effective locality-based investigations. Following evaluation, consideration this model may be implemented more widely by HSIB. The pilot was undertaken to understand whether, using the experience gained from the maternity programme, the national investigation model can be adapted to investigate individual incidents which could develop local trust/organisation and system learning. This may further HSIB’s contribution to improvements in patient safety at local, regional and national levels.

Consultation

Fixed recoverable costs in lower value clinical negligence claims. A consultation on Fixed Recoverable Costs for Lower Value Clinical Negligence Claims has been launched by the Department of Health and Social Care. The main objective is to provide faster resolution, with legal costs that are proportionate to the value of compensation. The proposals aim to continue providing a balanced and fair approach to resolution. The consultation runs from 31 January to 24 April 2022.

Fixed recoverable costs in lower value clinical negligence claims - Law Society response. The Law Society invites clinical negligence practitioners with views on the Department of Health and Social Care proposals on how fixed recoverable costs (FRCs) might be applied in clinical negligence claims valued up to £25,000 to respond directly to the consultation or help to inform its position by emailing feedback to CivilJusticePolicy@lawsociety.org.uk by 31 March 2022.

Reforming NHS litigation costs Following the Department of Health and Social Care consultation proposing to introduce fixed recoverable costs (FRC) and a new streamlined process in clinical negligence claims up to a value of £25,000 in England and Wales, an Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO) report explores alternative, industry-led models that could increase collaborative practices between claimant and defendant representatives. The report finds: clinical negligence litigation has received renewed calls for reform to help control the overall cost of cases against the NHS in England; Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 reforms have helped to reduce the average amount of legal costs for cases valued over £25,000 but similar reductions have not been seen in cases below £25,000; and collaboration between claimant representatives, panel firms and NHS Resolution (NHSR) has increased considerably in recent years.

Cases

Traylor v Kent and Medway NHS Social Care Partnership Trust Case  [2022] EWHC 260. An NHS Trust was not liable in negligence to a patient who had been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and had stabbed his daughter several times and was shot by the police as a result. The Trust had taken reasonable steps to avoid the risk that the patient would suffer a relapse of his psychotic illness. It was not liable to his daughter pursuant to the Human Rights Act 1998 for failing to take positive steps to protect her right to life or her right not to be subject to inhuman or degrading treatment.

News

NHS England drops limit on offering Caesarean births

The mothers who helped uncover the biggest maternity scandal

New taskforce to level-up maternity care and tackle disparities The taskforce will explore inequalities in maternity care and identify how the government can improve outcomes for women from ethnic minority communities.

NHS to tackle 'unfair' maternity outcomes

NHS cancer checks at record high with quarter of a million in one month  

Bevan Brittan Updates

GP liable to disabled Claimant for negligent pre-conception advice provided to her mother two decades previously. Faye Swales

Bevan Brittan Events

A day in the life of a Consultant Obstetrician. Dr Clare Tower, a consultant in Obstetrics and Fetal and Maternal Medicine at St Mary’s Hospital will describe the reality of working on a ward as a consultant obstetrician, decision making and how to prioritise tasks in the context of clinical negligence cases. 1 March at 12.30pm

Challenges of overseas visitors charging regulations. Hospital Trusts are required to charge overseas visitors for certain treatments. This raises difficult questions of identifying overseas visitors and deciding what treatment can or must be provided. David Lawson reviews the cases and draws out how the questions should be approached. 8 March 2022 at 12.30pm

Looking at clinical negligence claims from a Claimant's perspective. This session will consider Claimant concerns and their context in litigation. 15 March at 12.30pm.

How we can help

We are working with clients on formulating policies and making it easier to balance treatment with finite resources. We are helping with social care policies and day to day activities such as contact and isolation, human rights issues and life/death decisions. We are working on notifications of harm and death, RIDDOR, CQC compliance, judicial review, infection control law and grappling with the new regulations and guidance. For more information click here. If you wish to discuss any clinical risk or patient safety issues please contact Joanne Easterbrook, Tim Hodgetts or Joanna Lloyd.

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Digital Health

Publications/guidance

UK to pilot world-leading approach to improve ethical adoption of AI in healthcare. The NHS in England will begin a world leading pilot into Algorithmic Impact Assessments (AIAs) in healthcare. The AIA, designed by the Ada Lovelace Institute, will be piloted to support researchers and developers to assess the possible risks and biases of AI systems to patients and the public before they can access NHS data. It is hoped that in the future, AIAs could increase the transparency, accountability and legitimacy for the use of AI in healthcare.

Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data (draft) The draft strategy sets out ambitious plans to harness the potential of data in health and care, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and ethics.

AI Roadmap Methodology and findings report. A Health Education England report provides the first roadmap to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in the NHS looking at its workforce impact. The report aims to understand the use of AI and data-driven technologies that currently exist in the healthcare system, the uptake of these new technologies, and the impact on the workforce. This specifically looks at how long AI projects will take to implement, how the different types of technology are distributed throughout the health service, what clinical areas are using AI, and which parts of the workforce use AI the most.

Delivery plan for tackling the COVID-19 backlog of elective care. An NHS document sets out a progressive agenda for how it will recover elective care following the backlog caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The plan will: give patients greater control over their own health and offer greater choice of where to get care if they are waiting too long for treatment; increase capacity to deliver more procedures and scans in each of the next three years, to around nine million more tests and checks by 2025; and add new surgical hubs to the network of 122 already operating across the country, helping ensure that unless people chose to postpone, the longest time patients could wait for surgery will be no longer than a year by March 2025. It also sets out how NHS staff will make the best use of additional government funding to begin to address the backlog. It includes information on plans to use digital tools and data to manage waiting lists more efficiently. 

Bevan Brittan Events

Partner and Head of Independent Health and Social Care, Vincent Buscemi discusses the digital and data implications of the ICS agenda with Partner Dan Morris. Click here for a recording.

If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around Digital Health please contact Daniel Morris.

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Employment/HR  

Publications/guidance

What do NHS managers contribute? This long read examines the contribution that NHS managers make and why investment in management and leadership is essential in securing productivity, quality and reform.

The long goodbye? Exploring rates of staff leaving the NHS and social care This explainer takes stock of what is known and not known about the numbers of employees leaving the NHS and social care, and the reasons that are given for why staff move on. The explainer follows the Nuffield Trust's recent updates to the NHS staffing tracker, which monitors and analyses key workforce targets and trends within the health service.

The government response to the Health and Social Care Committee report on workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care In June 2021, the Health and Social Care Select Committee published its report Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care. The report explored several key issues, including: the scale and impact of workforce burnout and its contributing factors; the impact of workplace culture on burnout and the further work needed to create an inclusive and compassionate working environment; the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the workforce; and how more comprehensive workforce planning is necessary. This response makes several recommendations against these issues.

Workforce standards for the district nursing service This document sets safety standards for the district nursing workforce in the UK, setting out areas of risk and giving examples of major ‘red flags’ that require escalation.

Consultation outcome: NHS Pension Scheme: proposed changes to member contributions: consultation response.Following its consultation on proposals for a new member contribution structure in the NHS Pension Scheme which will be implemented from 1 April 2022, the Department of Health and Social Care intends to proceed with the proposals to: use actual annual rates of pensionable pay to determine members' contribution rates, instead of members' notional whole-time equivalent pay; change the member contribution structure to the structure that was proposed by the consultation document; increase the thresholds within the member contribution structure in line with annual Agenda for Change pay awards; and phase in the new member contribution structure, with the first phase to be implemented on 1 October 2022.

Flexible working: raising the standards for the NHS The NHS People Plan 2020/21 puts people at the front and centre of the NHS, including those working in primary and community care. This guidance sets out a preliminary definition and set of principles for flexible working. The definition aims to support the shared and common understanding of flexible working that is needed to achieve fair, equitable and consistent practice. The principles aim to form a foundation for flexible working, and organisations are encouraged to innovate and test out approaches to support the embedding of flexible working.

Supporting NHS people affected by long COVID These guidelines offer advice and best practice for line managers and leaders. See also Update: guidance on long term COVID-19 sickness absences from the NHS Staff Council on the management of long-term COVID-19 sickness absences.

Tired of being exhausted: seven key actions for leaders in the NHS workforce crisis This workforce crisis presents an enduring and enormous leadership challenge in health and care, made even more difficult by the huge demands of dealing with a pandemic. This is the context for the review of health and social care leadership being undertaken by Sir Gordon Messenger and Dame Linda Pollard. 

Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care. A response by the government to the Health and Social Care Committee’s report on workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care. The committee’s work on the subject is available here: Workforce burnout and resilience in the NHS and social care - Committees - UK Parliament

News

‘Missed opportunity’ to tackle NHS and social care staff shortages

National chiefs tell staff covid vaccine is ‘professional responsibility’

The U-turn on covid vaccination will leave a toxic legacy of mistrust

Bevan Brittan Updates

Temporary FAQs: Managing the VCOD U-turn - Alastair Currie.

How we can help

We can offer support and advice on managing many workforce issues including flexing your workforce to respond to the pandemic, managing bank staff, redeployment, vulnerable groups, sick pay, leave options, supporting staff well-being, presenteeism, remote and home working, through FAQs, helpline or policy guidance and practical day to day advice.  

If you wish to discuss any employment issues generally please contact Jodie Sinclair,  Alastair Currie or James Gutteridge.

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Finance 

Publications/Guidance

Under pressure: managing fiscal pressures in the 2020s This report assesses the demands on the state in the 2020s; considers what we can learn from the strategies employed to deal with past spending pressures; and evaluates these and other strategies available to governments over the next decade as they seek to manage existing and emerging fiscal pressures. It finds that the 2020s are set to be a decade in which the spending pressures from ageing intensify and health care costs continue to rise.

If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around finance please contact Claire Bentley.

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Health Inequalities 

Publications/Guidance

Ethnic inequalities in healthcare: a rapid evidence review This review into ethnic inequalities in health care has revealed vast inequalities across a range of health services. Some of the largest inequalities were found for mental health care, where treatment for Black groups was particularly poor. The review also found there was a lack of research into specific areas including how outcomes may differ for ethnic minority babies in neonatal health care settings, where just one study was found to investigate health disparities in the care of ethnic minority newborn babies.

Assuring and Improving Immunisation Services toolkit The Assuring and Improving Immunisation Services digital toolkit provides a series of resources for leaders in local health systems to improve immunisation overall coverage in their area and reduce inequalities in access and uptake.

Levelling up the UK: what you need to know This briefing provides an overview and analysis of the Levelling up White Paper and analyses what it means for the health and care sector.

If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around health inequalities please contact Claire Bentley.

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Information sharing/data 

Publications/Guidance

Coronavirus (COVID-19): notification to organisations to share information Notification to healthcare organisations, GPs, local authorities and arm's length bodies that they should share information to support efforts against coronavirus (COVID-19).

Sharing public sector data This document looks into the positive aspects of data sharing, such as improving public services, facilitating research and innovation, and informing policy-making, and how cultural and skills barriers, poor data quality, and lack of public trust are providing challenges for the public sector.

Data saves lives: reshaping health and social care with data (draft) The draft strategy sets out ambitious plans to harness the potential of data in health and care, while maintaining the highest standards of privacy and ethics.

Records management guidance for the transition of CCGs to ICBs. This records management guidance is specifically aimed at clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and integrated care boards (ICBs) as plans start to be put in place for their establishment, focusing on the management of records as part of this transition.

How we can help

We have a dedicated Information Law & Privacy team who advise clients on:-

• all aspects of the UK GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018 including commercial GDPR issues and information sharing
• managing and completing Subject Access Requests  
• rights of access under Freedom of Information and the Environmental Information Regulations, alongside issues relating to access to records, confidentiality, cyber risks and data breaches.

For more information contact  James Cassidy or Jane Bennett.

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Mental Health 

Publications/guidance 

Benchmarking in learning disability. The third annual national benchmarking report for learning disability improvement standards has been published by NHS Benchmarking on behalf of NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Revisiting safeguarding practice A joint, independent briefing setting out the importance of practice principles integral to safeguarding adults. This is to make sure statutory responses are informed by a consistent person-centred approach.

Suicide prevention: Policy and strategy This briefing paper considers suicide prevention policies and strategies throughout the UK. It outlines national and local approaches to prevention policy in some key policy areas.

Mental health in prison: Government Response to the Committee's Fifth Report: Fifth Special Report of Session 2021-22  A Justice Committee publication sets out the Government's response to recommendations in its report on mental health in prisons.

Running hot: the impact of the pandemic on mental health services The Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s mental health, and the knock-on effect is putting services and partner organisations under considerable pressure. NHS Confederation members report a steep post-pandemic increase in the severity of the mental health needs of the people presenting to their services, especially in children and young people. This briefing outlines the current context, the case for change in mental health support, and calls for action from the government including a comprehensive plan to respond to the growing demand for mental health care in England.

Cases

Kent County Council v P & Anor [2022] EWCOP 3. Judgment concerning whether the public should be admitted to the Court of Protection proceedings concerning P and whether this judgment should be published. 

P, Official Judicial Visits to (Guidance) [2022] EWCOP 5. Mr Justice Hayden, The Vice President of The Court of Protection, has issued new guidance on judges visiting P in SMT cases (Serious Medical Treatment).

A Clinical Commissioning Group v DC & Ors [2022] EWCOP 2. Application by a CCG concerning whether it is in DC’s best interests to receive a Covid-19 vaccination.

How we can help

We are experts in advising commissioners, providers and care co-ordinators on the relevant legal frameworks. We deal with complex issues such as deprivation of liberty, state involvement, use of CCTV monitoring, seclusion, physical restraint and covert medication. We can help providers with queries about admission and detention, consent to treatment, forensic service users, transfers, leave, discharge planning and hearings. We can advise commissioners on all matters concerning commissioning responsibility, liability and disputes. For more information click here

If you wish to discuss any mental health issues facing your organisation please contact Simon Lindsay, Hannah Taylor,or Stuart Marchant. 

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Primary Care  

Publications/guidance

Tackling the inverse care law This analysis reviews attempts to tackle inequities in the supply of general practice services in England over the past 30 years. The report looks at policies on general practice funding, workforce, premises, contracts and commissioning.

Digital primary care: Improving access for all? Rapid evidence review. With so many changes to way patients access care at their GP surgery, including a shift to online booking, 'total triage', and remote consultations - are these changes to primary care a move in the right direction? This evidence review looks at international and UK evidence to draws together key insights for policy-makers and GP practices.

Digital and remote primary care: the inverse care law with a 21st century twist? The Covid-19 pandemic has brought significant changes to how people access primary care services, including the rise of online bookings and remote consultations. This long read discusses whether the shift towards digital primary care risks making access easier for people with less need and harder for those more likely to be in poorer health – and describes the actions that would help in getting access right.

Next steps for general practice following the accelerated COVID-19 vaccination booster campaign. Guidance for Primary Care Networks (PCNs) to focus on three key priority areas while continuing to use their professional judgement to clinically prioritise care: continued delivery of general practice services; management of symptomatic COVID-19 patients in the community and ongoing delivery of the COVID-19 vaccination programme.

Ethnic minority-led GP practices: impact and experience of CQC regulation In February 2021, the CQC began work to examine concerns raised by some GPs that ethnic minority-led GP practices were more likely to have a poorer experience or outcomes from regulation than non ethnic minority-led practices. While the limited data within the health and care system meant that it was not possible to establish any relationship between ethnicity of practice leadership and ratings, this work has identified contextual factors that can disproportionately affect ethnic minority-led practices and their ability to demonstrate how they provide good care.

Inclusion health self assessment Tool for primary care networks This online tool will help primary care networks to assess their engagement with inclusion health groups. These are the groups identified as experiencing the worst health inequalities in the UK. The tool has been developed by a partnership of voluntary sector organisations including Friends, Families and Travellers, Homeless Link, Doctors of the World, National Ugly Mugs and Stonewall Housing, and is supported by NHS England and NHS Improvement.

Bevan Brittan Updates

GP liable to disabled Claimant for negligent pre-conception advice provided to her mother two decades previously. Faye Swales

Bevan Brittan Videos

Bevan Brittan has collaborated with NHS Resolution to produce a series of videos outlining key areas in general practice that frequently give rise to claims. Members of our clinical negligence team draw on their wealth of experience in dealing with claims to highlight the common areas of risk, provide guidance on how to mitigate or avoid these issues, and what steps to take if a complaint or a claim is received. The first five videos in this series are available to watch now. See below:-
Consent - Daniel Morris
Medical record keeping - Ben Lambert
Administrative errors - Susan Trigg
What to do if you receive a complaint or claim - Joanne Easterbrook
Common pitfalls - Helen Carrington

Other useful resources from NHS Resolution for primary care are set out below:-
1. General Practice Indemnity schemes
2. Understanding the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice
3. Handling claims under the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice
4. Covid-19 guidance for general practice 

How we can help   

We can offer support and advice on managing contractual and operational issues affecting the delivery of primary care services, including emerging legislative changes, updated guidance and policy arrangements, workforce issues and any transactional – related matters relating to vertical integrations, STPs, PCNs, etc. For more information click here.

If you wish to discuss any issues in primary care then please contact  Joanne Easterbrook, Susan Trigg, Vincent Buscemi or Ben Lambert. 

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Public Health  

Publications/Guidance 

Sharing public sector data This document looks into the positive aspects of data sharing, such as improving public services, facilitating research and innovation, and informing policy-making, and how cultural and skills barriers, poor data quality, and lack of public trust are providing challenges for the public sector.

Explainer: Living safely and fairly with Covid-19 This explainer gives an update on the key elements that are inherent to 'living safely and fairly with Covid-19’ and the role that Directors of Public Health and their teams play in making this possible. The explainer is intended to support local and national planning and implementation.

Assuring and Improving Immunisation Services toolkit The Assuring and Improving Immunisation Services digital toolkit provides a series of resources for leaders in local health systems to improve immunisation overall coverage in their area and reduce inequalities in access and uptake.

If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around public health please contact Claire Bentley.

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Regulation  

Publications/Guidance

Changes to the General Dental Council and the Nursing and Midwifery Council's international registration legislation The DHSC, on behalf of the UK government and the devolved administrations, is seeking views on proposed changes to the General Dental Council (GDC) and the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) international registration legislation. The aim is to provide these regulators with greater flexibility to amend their international registration processes by removing prescriptive detail about how such processes should operate from legislation. The consultation also amends the GDC’s legislation to protect candidates whose opportunity to sit Part 2 of the Overseas Registration Exam (ORE) within 5 years of first attempting Part 1 (as required by GDC regulations) was lost as a result of restrictions on the operation of the exam resulting from the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. This consultation closes at 11.45pm on 6 May 2022.

If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around regulation please contact Stuart Marchant.

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Social Care  

Publications/Guidance 

A quality framework for care homes for adults and older people. A Care Inspectorate publication sets out a quality framework for care homes for adults and older people, which covers both service types to reflect the changing practice and policy context in which care and support is now provided. These updates include: adding a new quality indicator 1.5, "People's health and wellbeing benefits from safe infection prevention and control practice and procedure", which reflects the introduction of the infection-prevention and control manual for older people and adult care homes; changing the focus of quality indicator 1.4, "People experience meaningful contact that meets their outcomes, needs and wishes", to reflect the importance of meaningful contact and relationships as set out in Scottish Government's "Open with Care" guidance; and introducing core assurances, some of the things the Inspectorate will always look at on its inspections because they are key areas that are essential to a service being safe.

Coronavirus: Adult social care key issues and sources. This briefing provides an overview of key issues facing the adult social care sector during the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic, and provides links to some of the key official guidance for the sector

Health and social care integration: joining up care for people, places and populations This White Paper sets out measures to make integrated health and social care a universal reality for everyone across England regardless of their condition and of where they live.

Joining up care for people, places and populations: the government's proposals for health and care integration This White Paper sets out measures to make integrated health and social care a universal reality for everyone across England regardless of their condition and of where they live. It sets out plans to join up care for: patients and service users; staff looking for ways to better support increasing numbers of people with care needs; and organisations delivering these services to the local population.

Health and Care Bill: joint parliamentary briefing The NHS Confederation, NHS Providers and The King's Fund share concerns about the erosion of NHS independence as a result of the Health and Care Bill. They support the premise of the Health and Care Bill, and believe that the future of health and care in England must be based on collaboration and partnership working at a local level. However, this joint briefing covers two specific aspects of the Health and Care Bill and amendments they believe would better ensure people across the country have access to the best possible care in their local community.

How we can help 

For ways in which we can help with Social Care issues click here.

If you wish to discuss any queries you may have around social care please contact Siwan Griffiths.

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General 

Publications/Guidance 

Redesigning orthopaedic outpatient assessments New staff-designed assessment clinic has shortened waiting times for orthopaedic patients, increased capacity and improved patient experience.

What’s happening to hospital discharges? Earlier this winter, hospital trusts in England were asked to work with local partners to cut delayed discharges by half by the end of January. Natasha Curry and Liz Fisher from the Nuffield Trust show how the situation has actually got worse since, and discuss the possible reasons why.

Framework document between the Department of Health and Social Care and the UK Health Security Agency The framework document is a high-level document setting out the overall relationship between UKHSA and the department.

Do patients feel involved in decisions about their care? The Nuffield Trust examine whether patients feel involved in decisions about their care and treatment.

Supporting male victims/survivors accessing a sexual assault referral centre: good practice guide The purpose of this guide is to educate and guide staff working in sexual assault referral centres (SARCs) to better enable males, including those from diverse communities, to access the support of a SARC following sexual assault and abuse. Where males do access support from a SARC, this guide will support SARC staff to deliver high-quality care that is responsive and understanding of the diverse needs of male victims/survivors of sexual assault and abuse.

Code on genetic testing and insurance: annual report 2021. Annual report on agreement between the government and the ABI on the use of genetic test results in underwriting insurance policies.

Handbook to the NHS Constitution for England. Information about the rights and pledges in the NHS Constitution and what these mean for NHS patients and staff.

The 2019 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access: payment percentage for 2022 The 2019 voluntary scheme payment percentage for 2022 will be 15 per cent. This is an agreement between the Department of Health and Social Care, NHS England and the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, and the guidance sets out how the level was set. The agreement aims to improve patient access to medicines by getting the best value and most effective medicines into use more quickly.

Mapping the joint venture relationship between private healthcare companies and NHS medical consultants This analysis examines the growing importance of joint venture businesses between NHS medical consultants and private health care companies in the delivery of for-profit health care in the United Kingdom.

Consultations 

10-year cancer plan: call for evidence The NHS long-term plan, published in 2019, set an ambition to save thousands more lives each year by improving how we diagnose and treat cancer. The DHSC is seeking the views of individuals, professionals and organisations to understand whether and how progress can be made against this ambition, and to build on lessons learnt from the Covid-19 pandemic. The closing date for comments is 1 April 2022.

If you wish to discuss any queries around this general topic please contact Claire Bentley.

 

Bevan Brittan Publications 

If you would like to sign up for any of our Bevan Brittan publications click here.

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