WIREDGOV NEWSLETTER ARCHIVE
| They made the ultimate sacrifice |
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Prince Harry joined families & members of the Armed Forces at the Bastion Memorial Service of Rededication at the National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, to remember those who gave their lives during Combat Operations in Afghanistan, 2001-2014. A congregation of nearly 2,000 people, including the PM, bereaved families, veterans and current Servicemen & women attended the service to rededicate the memorial in its new home. The reconstructed Bastion Memorial is based on the same design as the former Bastion Memorial Wall built in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, which was deconstructed in late 2014 following the end of combat operations. |
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Prince Harry leads tributes at the Bastion Memorial Service The Bastion Memorial, by Major Tom McDermott RTR MoD: The Bastion Memorial, it reminds us that they were never alone 13 years of UK military operations in Afghanistan commemorated Camp Bastion troops say farewell to memorial wall Remembrance service held in Afghanistan |
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| We have known this for years so why hasn’t NHS management ‘reformed’ its purchasing? |
| Lord Carter has worked with 22 leading hospitals to see how the NHS could save money by doing things more efficiently & spreading best practice. His report finds that the NHS could save up to £5bn every year by 2020 by making better use of staff, using medicines more effectively and getting better value from the huge number of products it buys. The PM has set out that the NHS must modernise and move to a 7-day service. The size of the NHS means that by doing several small things better, huge savings are possible to help achieve that aim. |
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DH: Hospital productivity report shows how NHS can make large savings NHS Confederation response to Lord Carter review on procurement CQC to act on recommendations of report into procurement NHS Confederation response on the recent announcement into assessing hospital efficiency Financing the promised £8bn by 2020 Monitor to undertake first investigation under NHS purchasing rules NICE launches new Framework Agreement for purchasing information resources |
| Let us hope the ‘efficiency gains’ do not lead to a ‘poorer standard of care’ |
| The Secretary of State has announced the move to a single leader of Monitor and the Trust Development Authority (TDA), the organisations who are together responsible for providing increased support to hospitals to continue to improve care & boost efficiency. The chairs of both Monitor and the TDA have been asked to run an open & competitive process to identify a chief executive. The intention is that this appointment will be made by the end of the summer. |
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Hospitals are too expensive for anything but specialist ‘non-mobile’ treatment |
| Longer independent living is vital for the NHS funding ‘crisis |
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NHS England’s National Clinical Director for the Frail Elderly and Integration invites us to change our perception of what frailty actually is. The recent Health and Social Care Information Centre publication reports that the remaining life expectancy at an age of 65 years is 18 years for a man and 21 years for a woman – roughly 5 years more compared with 1980/82 – but that the “Disability Free Life Expectancy” (DFLE) is only 10 years for men and 11 years for a woman. A “Practical Guide to Healthy Ageing” has been co-produced by NHS England and Age UK. It is underpinned by an extensive evidence base (78 cohort studies) of factors that are strongly associated with loss of independence in later life. It is designed to target people with mild frailty and was carefully constructed with the help of focus groups to ensure the content was meaningful & acceptable. Over 200.000 copies of the guide have been requested since it was released earlier this year. NHS England now plan to conduct a review of its uptake & content and would welcome comments & suggestions for improvements. |
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NHS England: Take the frailty challenge! Tripping & falling is no joke as your bones get frailer in later years Being ill when older can be frightening & confusing New £20m a year fund to help keep people out of hospital and in their own home ‘Choose Pharmacy’ pilot ‘shows potential’ in improving access to local health services, report finds ‘Choose Pharmacy’ pilot ‘shows potential’ in improving access to local health services, report finds New programme to help people in Wales’ most deprived communities to live well and live longer |
| It would be deplorable if recent improvements were ‘lost’ |
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Teenagers not in employment, education or training (NEET) are at risk of being left behind by growth if services are not reformed, councils warned recently. A Local Government Association (LGA) survey reveals just 7% of councils say they have powers & funding to meet their legal duties to identify & reduce teenage disengagement and secure suitable education and training places for all 16 to 18-year-olds. It follows a combination of 40% funding cuts from central government since 2010, and the removal of council powers over key services to carry out their duty – such as careers advice, national engagement programmes and further education. |
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LGA: Funding cuts without reform to put services for teenage NEETS at risk by 2020 Just throwing money at the problem doesn’t work; co-ordinated action is what gets results Has the coalition government finally ‘cracked’ this crucial social problem? |
| Food for Thought when developing rural economy |
| Cornwall’s first dedicated food village is set to confirm the region’s reputation as the nation’s culinary capital in one of the UK’s first government-backed Food Enterprise Zones (FEZs) bringing jobs, tourism and investment to the area. Cornwall is 1 of 17 areas in England awarded a share of £830,000 of government funding to develop a FEZ, which is built around a Local Development Order to overcome barriers to planning permission and fast-track the expansion of food & farming businesses within the zone. |
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Defra: New artisan food village to help grow ‘food capital’ Cornwall |
| No more ‘Mountain Top Stripping’ please |
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With a rise in holiday makers foregoing the pool or beach for something more active & adventurous on their break abroad, the Foreign & Commonwealth Office has teamed up with the British Standards Institution (BSI) to offer advice on how to get the most from your trip whilst staying safe. It is important to recognise that a range of hazards can arise during any journey in unfamiliar conditions & climates, and although uncommon, tragic accidents have happened. Where there is an intention to include some element of challenge & physical risk, travellers and their organisers need to be especially well prepared. |
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| A chance to ‘Make a difference’ |
| The Department for Education is recruiting a second cohort of its flagship policy fellows. Successful candidates can contribute to the future of education & children’s services and help the government think about making policy differently. The DfE fellowship aims to widen the pool of people who contribute to making & delivering government policy. They are looking for exceptional individuals who are interested in a secondment opportunity at the heart of the department. |
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| Not just ‘Me First’ |
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The teaching of good character in schools has been backed by the government. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan wants schools to take the lead in developing the next generation of productive, civic-minded individuals by fostering "good character" among students. She's allocated £5m to programmes that develop character attributes like "resilience, self-confidence and respect". Study after study demonstrates the connection between character strengths and getting good grades. Nobel Prize-winning US economist James Heckman has shown that "performance virtues" like "conscientiousness" & "agreeableness" are more predictive of labour market success than IQ. |
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DEMOS: Viewpoint: How do you instil good character? DEMOS - Students with 'grit' do not push themselves to excess Rugby coaches to be drafted in to help build grit in pupils Top award for character-based free school with fencing for all Winners of the Character Awards announced Character education: apply for 2015 grant funding England to become a global leader of teaching character Measures to help schools instil character in pupils announced |
| Not so ‘cut off’ from information |
| A new telephone service offering help & advice to people suffering an electricity power cut will use the number 105, Ofcom has announced. The helpline is being developed by the UK's electricity industry for launch in April 2016. It will provide a single telephone number for people anywhere in Britain to contact their electricity network operator to report a power cut or safety concern, or receive reassurance during a blackout. |
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| Not always ‘safe at home’ |
| Thousands of storybooks that help to teach youngsters how to stay safe at home are being made available free of charge to childcare professionals across Scotland. The Birthday Party, a free book which has been produced by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), can be given to any professional that works with children who are in Primary 3 or younger from this week. |
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RoSPA: Thousands of children’s home safety books available for free in Scotland |
| So we may not be ‘doomed’ after all! |
| The depletion of mineral reserves poses no serious threat to society, a new monograph published by the Adam Smith Institute concludes. “The No Breakfast Fallacy: Why the Club of Rome was wrong about us running out of resources” argues that outcries over resource availability from environmentalist groups are based on a misinterpretation of numbers and a misunderstanding of what mineral resources actually are. |
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ASI: The world is not running out of resources after all, says new report |
| Schools can be at the heart of community life |
| Whether starting from scratch or improving what you already offer, Use Our School contains a huge raft of support, information and advice for schools, local authorities and sport partners. Enter the new web resource now and explore their films, infographics and a host of other essential tools. |
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More news, opinions, documents, claims & counter-claims; |
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ScotGov: Scotland Bill changes proposed Law Society of Scotland welcomes introduction of Scotland Bill |
