The Department of Health have published the long awaited information strategy for the NHS, entitled The power of information: Putting all of us in control of the health and care information we need (PDF). The main thrust of the strategy is to give patients more information and make data central to the drive to improve [read the full story…]
The government have published their new alcohol strategy for the United Kingdom. The last few years has seen a fall in the number of alcohol-related deaths in many other countries, but the UK has bucked this trend and has seen a rise in deaths from liver disease and an increase in hospital admissions related to [read the full story…]
Evidence-based drug policy is a phrase you don’t read that often. Many searches for this phrase return articles that explore why we don’t have evidence-based policies for illicit drugs and why the evidence base is weak in this area. A group of international researchers and policy makers (including two UK-based professionals) are trying to buck [read the full story…]
The new NHS operating framework has been published today and it sets priorities on a number of mental health issues. The Department of Health press release says: The operating framework describes the national priorities, system levers and enablers needed for NHS organisations to maintain and improve the quality of services provided, while delivering transformational change [read the full story…]
The NHS Operating Framework 2012/13 focuses on the new commissioning landscape. It lays out the planning, performance and financial requirements for NHS organisations in 2012/13 and the basis on which they will be held to account. This brief overview simply picks out the headlines. Commissioners will want to get into the detail of this annual [read the full story…]
The Centre for Social Justice has published a new report on the mental health strategy entitled ‘Completing the revolution: Transforming mental health and tackling poverty’ The decision more than 30 years ago to close big mental hospitals and treat patients in the community has failed to help the most vulnerable, according to a major new [read the full story…]
The Department of Health have published their proposed next steps to develop services for offenders with severe personality disorders in the NHS and Criminal Justice System. This follows a consultation that ran from Feb-May this year. In short, this work seeks to ensure that: the personality disordered offender population is a shared responsibility of the [read the full story…]
The Department of Health in conjunction with the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse has issued guidance on commissioning prison based substance misuse services for 2011/12. The guidance takes the form of a letter with an appendix from Richard Bradshaw (Director, Offender Health), Ian Poree (Director of Service Development NOMS) and Rosanna O’Connor (Director of [read the full story…]
The Dementia Commissioning Pack provides practical resources for health and social care commissioners to work together to improve the quality of both specialist dementia services and general health and care services for people with dementia and their carers. The pack has been developed in consultation with a range of health and social care experts, including [read the full story…]
A new consultation on preventing suicide has been launched today by the Care Services Minister, Paul Burstow. Bereaved families and experts in general practice, local government, transport, mental health and criminal justice will all help to inform a new strategy to be published in the New Year following a 3-month consultation phase. One person dies [read the full story…]
