This report finds that too many people approaching death are forced to spend long periods of time in hospital due to a lack of social care or alternative support options in their community. This in turn leads to increased hospital admissions and higher costs for an NHS under financial pressures.
It explains the duties and responsibilities of health professionals who deal with children and young people with special educational needs and disability (SEND) and their families.
With March marking a year since the first wave of vanguards were announced, a new animation (see below) and suite of factsheets shine a light on what the sites are up to and what’s in store for patients and communities across the country.
Launched on Thursday (25 February), the resources explain the aims and objectives of the country’s 50 health and care vanguards.
Aimed at health and care staff, patients and the public, the resources also showcase some of the innovative work happening across the country that’s making a difference to people’s lives.
The factsheets explore the five types of care models the vanguards fall under:
Acute care collaboration vanguard sites – linking local hospitals together to improve their clinical and financial viability.
Urgent and emergency care – new approaches to improve the coordination of services and reduce pressure on A&E departments.
Enhanced health in care homes – offering older people better, joined up health, care and rehabilitation services.
Multi-specialty community providers – moving specialist care out of hospitals into the community.
Integrated primary and acute care systems – joining up GP, hospital, community and mental health services.
Public Health England’s chief economist has published the first in a series of four blogs looking at health economics and the case for investing in prevention initiatives. The blog focuses on four key questions: does prevention save the health service money; are public health initiatives really providing the best value for money; and how can we better incentivise local authorities, NHS commissioners and health care providers to invest more in prevention and early intervention.
The new system, which was recommended following the Mid Staffs hospital scandal, aims to improve public protection by making sure that the UK’s 655,000 nurses and midwives are up to date in their training and skills and that they continue to remain fit to practise throughout their career.
Under revalidation, which replaces the current Post-Registration Education and Practice (Prep) requirements, nurses and midwives will have to revalidate every three years when they apply to renew their place on the register of the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). From April, nurses and midwives seeking reregistration will have to provide evidence they have completed 450 hours of practice per register entry over the preceding three years; completed 40 hours of continuing professional development (CPD) learning, 20 hours of which need to be participatory.
Furthermore, they have to deliver five written reflections based on four themes in a new code of professional standards; have evidence of feedback from others including patients, relatives and colleagues and have third-party confirmation of continuing fitness to practise. This is likely to be from a line manager. As part of the process, they will also have to declare that they have professional indemnity insurance and that they are of good health and character.
The NMC recommends that nurses and midwives set up an NMC online account so they can find out the deadline for revalidation and when their registration expires. Help is being provided by the Royal College of Nursing (RCN), which has a number of advice leaflets and CPD resources on its website under a special learning zone. A telephone helpline has also been set up.
