This report is intended to increase primary care trusts’ awareness of the children’s centre agenda and the opportunities it provides, and to share examples of good practice. It is aimed at Chief Executives of primary care trusts and strategic health authorities, Directors of children’s social services, primary care trust children’s leads, and Directors of commissioning.

Tags: Children's Services, NHS

This document provides an update on the implementation of patient choice in the NHS since it was introduced at the start of 2006. It focuses on the experiences of patients and NHS staff. It is aimed at Chief Executives of primary care trusts, NHS trusts, and strategic health authorities, Medical Directors, Directors of Nursing, GPs, and Communications Leads.

Tags: NHS, Transformation

This report highlights progress across the NHS during the last 12 months and outlines the opportunities and challenges in moving forward. It is aimed at the NHS, non-departmental public bodies, voluntary organisations and local authority Chief Executives.

Tags: NHS

The annual health check assesses whether general standards and targets, in areas such as safety, clinical effectiveness and focus on patients, are being met on behalf of patients across the NHS. This page describes the Healthcare Commission's proposed approach to the assessment of performance in 2007-08 and asks for comments about a number of developments to the system.

Tags: NHS, Systems

This white paper sets out the steps the Department for Education and Skills, together with local delivery partners, will take to ensure children and young people in care get a better start in life. It builds on responses to the green paper, Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of Children and Young People in Care, and the conclusions of four working groups established to investigate best practice in supporting those in care.

Click here to access relevant webpage.

Tags: Transformation, Children's Services

This report highlights the Government's role in influencing non-statutory, commercial and not-for-profit sectors in securing public health goals. Through the report, case studies and best practice tips, the department encourages the greater use of such partnerships for health at a local level.

Tags: Voluntary Sector

This good practice guidance, produced by the Department of Health, is aimed at commissioners and procurement experts and is designed to achieve better procurement outcomes for the NHS by aligning equality and efficiency goals. It is based on the experience and knowledge of specialist procurement and equality staff in 10 NHS Mosaic pilot sites, this guide shares information and encourages innovation.

Tags: Finance, Social Issues, Systems

The Government is committed to improving the life chances of people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. It wants to develop services which centre around the needs of disabled people and provide seamless support to help everyone achieve their full potential.
This report sets out a vision of how the three Departments most closely involved in this area - Education and Skills, Health, and Work and Pensions - will work together to deliver high quality support and incentives for young people and adults with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in further education and training.

Tags: Children's Services

This document presents the findings of a national survey of the status of Electronic Social Care Records (ESCR) in England. The survey was commissioned by the NHS Connecting for Health Electronic Social Care Record Implementation Board and the ADASS, with the support of David Behan, Director General for Social Care.

Tags: Children's Services, NHS

The strategy sets out the Department's vision for information and intelligence to support implementation of the public health white paper Choosing Health: making healthier choices easier. It includes a framework and an overview of plans for delivery.

Tags: Policy

This letter informs Local Authorities and PCTs of arrangements, operated via a bidding process, for the allocation of up to £7 million  to support the development up to six Multisystemic Therapy (MST) pilots.

Tags: Social Issues, Children's Services

Capital expenditure on healthcare facilities has increased from around £1.1 billion in 1997-98 to around £5.5 billion in 2007-08. This record investment has not just replaced old buildings with new ones. For this Government, the investment has served three key purposes:
• Improving the patient environment and experience in terms of more single rooms and better designed hospitals
• Modernising services - trusts have to reassess how they shape and configure their services and patient pathways, taking on board the provision of new IT, new equipment and new clinical areas
• Improving access and offering better choice by delivering a whole new generation of facilities so patients have more control over when, where and how they are seen

Click here to access Department of Health report.

Tags: NHS, Finance

Evidence gathered in the Disability Rights Commission’s (DRC) investigation into health inequalities experienced by people with mental health and learning disabilities will be a key starting point for the independent inquiry into healthcare for people with learning disabilities to be chaired by Sir Jonathan Michael, the Commission said today. Read More...

Tags: Culture, Social Issues

This briefing note, published in partnership with the Department for Education and Skills and the Department of Health, aims to highlight how effective programmes to tackle teenage pregnancy can contribute to LSPs achievingtheir key priorities and outcomes.  The note is primarily aimed at LSPs in receipt of Neighbourhood Renewal Funding, and asks LSPs to consider how they could assist partnership working in helping to tackle teenage conception rates.

Tags: Local Area Agreement

In the Budget, the Government announced that all public sector bodies will be required to prepare their accounts in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) from 2008/09. This announcement has significant implications for the way in which NHS bodies prepare their annual financial statements.  It also poses big challenges for us as auditors. The Audit Commission is committed to helping NHS bodies through this process and has published the second of a series of briefing papers, aimed at the preparers of accounts at NHS bodies, which will address developments in the application of IFRS.

Click here to access Audit Commission's briefing.

Tags: NHS, Finance

This document provides best practice guidance for commissioners and providers on how the roll-out of free choice in elective care in 2007/8 will operate.

Tags: NHS, Guidance

This consultation seeks comments on the draft summary of evidence to inform the development of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's public health programme guidance on community engagement and development. Click here to load NICE webpage, or click Read More... for the full insight. Read More...

Tags: NHS, NICE