DH: A Third Way for Service Provision - The Department of of Health has announced the publication of a report that contains the results of research to examine the potential contribution that third sector organisations can make to the delivery of health & social care.
The research covers an estimated 35,000 Third Sector Organisations (TSOs), who currently provide health and/or social care in England and a further 1,600 who plan to do so in the next three to five years. The total funding for these services amounts to an annual £12bn.
The research shows that:
· There is already a high level of interaction between public sector commissioners and third sector providers, especially in Social Care
· Only 30% of TSOs said they had tendered for any services in the previous year, but 60% were successful
· The main reason for not inviting TSOs to tender was the perceived absence of potential providers from within the sector
· Local authority satisfation ratings for TSO provided services was over 80%
· Half of the TSOs felt there were services that they would be better able to deliver than current providers
If planned growth was achieved on an even trajectory, then the total increase in third sector activity over the next year would amount to just under £1bn. This equates to an increase of 9%.
Press release ~ Third sector market mapping report ~ Third Sector Commissioning Task Force: No excuses: embrace partnership now: step towards change ~ NAO: Working with the Third Sector ~ Financial relationships with third sector organisations - NAO ~ Third Sector Network ~ The role and resourcing of the Third Sector – A view from the Treasury ~ Future Services Network ~ Care Services Efficiency Delivery (CSED) ~ Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO) ~ Office of the Third Sector ~ Charities and Public Service Delivery (CC37) ~ Regulating for the future ~ The Charity Commission’s response to the Strategy Unit review ~ Policy statement ‘Charities and public service delivery' ~ Full cost recovery website ~ National Council for Voluntary Organisations ~ National Association of Councils for Voluntary Service (NACVS) ~ Mind the Gap: A funders’ guide to full cost recovery ~ Future builders England ~ HM Treasury ~ Change Up ~ Capacity Builders ~ DH – Working with Stakeholders ~ Community Action Network ~ CEMVO : Council of Ethnic Minorities Voluntary Sector Organisations
DWP / ODI: Achievement out of 60 recommendations? - Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire, has announced the launch of a public consultation (closes on 9 May 2007), being led by the Office for Disability Issues (ODI), to ask disabled people what equality means to them and to gain their views on how Government can best monitor progress towards equality for disabled people.
The consultation launch coincides with the publication by the Disability Rights Commission of their ‘Disability Agenda’, which sets out the core themes on which the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights should focus.
The Prime Minister's Strategy Unit report - Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People - included some sixty recommendations for improving disabled people's lives, focusing on four key themes: early years, the transition from childhood into adulthood, employment and independent living
Press release ~ Consultation documents ~ Improving the Life Chances of Disabled People ~ Disability Agenda ~ Directgov Disability web pages ~ Commission for Equality and Human Rights ~ Disability Alliance campaign ~ DRC report: The Web: Access and Inclusion for Disabled People ~ Disabled Persons (Independent Living) Bill ~ National Centre for Independent Living ~ Improving Information for Disabled People (1.5Mb) ~ Five principles for producing better information for disabled people ~ Images of Disability ~ DRC – Services and Transport ~ RNID: The Disability Discrimination Act - a guide for service providers ~ Disability Information Service ~ Little Report: Through Inclusion to Excellence ~ 'Able Authorities: the Disability Discrimination Act, Local Authorities and Disabled People' ~ DRC: Disability Equality Duty ~ Shift – Action on Stigma ~ Equality for Disabled in Wales
DH / DFID: A healthy policy to help the Third World - A new report - Global Health Partnerships: The UK contribution to health in developing countries - makes recommendations on how the UK government, the NHS and other UK health experts could contribute better to health & health care in developing countries.
The report warns that the Millennium Development Goals on health - which aim to reduce deaths from child & maternal deaths and combat AIDS, TB & malaria - will not be met without a strong health workforce. With a shortage of health workers in many developing countries, there is an urgent need for training, education and support for health workers, including doctors, nurses, managers and community health workers.
The report recommends that the UK supports developing countries in the delivery of their own health plans, through:
· becoming part of a global effort to scale up education & training of health workers in developing countries
· support for global health partnerships between organisations & individuals in developed & developing countries
· strategic coordination of existing international health work
The
Press release ~ DH press release ~ Global health partnerships: The UK contribution to health in developing countries ~ International recruitment: NHS employers ~ Millennium Development Goals on health ~ Code of practice for the international recruitment of healthcare professionals (2004) ~ Global Health Workforce Alliance ~ World Health Report of 2006 on human resources for health ~ WHO: The world health report 2006 - working together for health ~ WHO - The global shortage of health workers and its impact ~ Unison: Labour migration - a union issue ~ NLH - Health Management - International Recruitment ~ BMA: Meeting the health needs of the poor
Natural England: Just in time for Global Warming – more access to the seaside - Subject to the approval of its Board on 21 February, Natural England looks set to advise the Government to introduce legislation to create a new right of public access to England’s coastline along a continuous access corridor.
Natural
· The Government should legislate to create a new approach tailored to the circumstances of the coast
· The access corridor should include new areas of ‘spreading room’ and also formalise existing beach access
· Natural
· All Natural England's powers would be exercised under a statutory methodology
· Natural
· Natural
· Local solutions would be designed in consultation with local interests
· The implementation programme would cost between £2m - £5m p.a. year over a period of 10 years
· There should be a working presumption against paying compensation for public access along the undeveloped coast
· The reduced level of occupiers' liability introduced for ‘access land’ under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act should also apply to coastal access
Natural
Press release ~ Natural England ~ Copy of the proposals ~ Improving Coastal Access - Country Land & Business Association ~ Defra : Improving access to the coast ~ Open Access ~ National Trails ~ National Trust - Coastline ~ The Ramblers Association - coastal access ~ Regulatory Impact Assessment of Options for Improving Access to the English Coast ~ Coastal Land Advisory Group ~ Countryside Council for Wales ~ Advice to WAG ~ SNH - Scottish Natural Heritage ~ Strategy to implement integrated coastal zone management (iczm) processes within Scotland ~ Discovering Lost Ways ~ Our coasts and seas - making space for people, industry and wildlife (2.5Mb)
For information on forthcoming public sector events please click HERE to visit the WGPlus Events Calendar
For Industry News please click HERE
Defra: In response to the outbreak of avian
influenza in
·
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Defra's interim epidemiological report into the
source of the outbreak, and
·
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A joint final report
by the Food Standards Agency (FSA),
Defra, Health Protection Agency (HPA) and Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) on tracing
the source of imported meat at Holton with a view to determining if it came
from Hungary
The Defra interim epidemiological report identifies two possible
hypotheses for the introduction of H5N1 into the poultry premises at
·
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It concludes that
there is ‘little evidence’ to support the first hypothesis of transmission from
a wild bird source.
·
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The second
hypothesis examined in the report is the spread of the virus associated with
the importation of poultry products from
The
joint final report by the FSA, Defra, HPA
and MHS examined transmission via imported Hungarian turkey meat and its main findings
are:
·
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There is no
evidence that any meat entered the
·
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All food importing
& processing activities at Holton are in line with EC
law
·
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The outbreak does
not alter the FSA's advice that properly cooked poultry meat remains safe
to eat
The HPA's investigation focused on
establishing if there was any health threat to the workers and they concluded
that it was very low and as a result they didn't require any antiviral
treatment.
Changes to Defra's disease control measures have been announced in light of the interim
epidemiological report.
Reports press release ~ Changes press release ~ Summary of initial epidemiological and
virological investigations to determine the source and means of introduction of
highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus into a turkey finishing unit in
Suffolk, as at 14 February 2007 ~ Joint Food Standards Agency, the Meat
Hygiene Service, Health Protection Agency and Defra report into the possible
transmission of H5N1 avian influenza virus from imported Hungarian turkey meat
to the UK ~
Defra: Disease surveillance and control - Avian
Influenza ~ Guidance on handling and disposing
of dead garden and wild birds ~ DH Flu website ~
DH – Pandemic
Flu ~
Bird flu and pandemic influenza: what are the
risks? ~ Current Contingency Plan ~ Food Standards Agency ~
RAEng: Absolute clarity in the purpose of road
pricing is needed right from the outset, according to The
People are more likely to accept direct
charges more readily if they can see that the money is being used to improve
the transport system. However, the
Academy believes that road pricing will not necessarily reduce emissions and
that the best way to do this is by a direct charge on the amount of fossil fuel
used.
Press release ~
Academy Road User Charging presentations ~ Eddington
Review website & study ~ 'Frustratingly slow: a
report on road congestion and the Government's plans to deal with it’
FONT> ~ DfT Road Pricing
feasibility study ~ DfT Road pricing
website ~ Select Transport Committee
report 2005 ~ Congestion on the strategic road network ~
DCMS: The memorial to commemorate the 52
people who lost their lives in the 7
July
Initial plans had been for a memorial in
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport
and the Royal Parks Agency will manage the work to create the memorial, in
consultation with the families.
Press release ~
7 July Assistance Centre ~ Royal Parks Agency – Hyde Park ~ London Bombings
Relief Charitable Fund ~ London Assembly Report
DH: Following extensive consultation, the
General Social Care Council has recommended that social care workers
& managers working in children's care homes & domiciliary care
agencies, along with those working in care homes for older people and care
homes for adults, residential family centres, fostering agencies and adoption
agencies should be registered.
This register (which will apply to
Qualifications, health and good character are
checked as part of the registration process and the GSCC also recommended that
social care workers on the register should complete training to acquire a
qualification at NVQ level 2 during their first period of registration.
Press release ~
General
Social Care Council ~ Social Care Register ~ HPC - Health
Professions Council ~ Future Regulation of Health and
Adult Social Care ~ Related Amicus Press release ~ Registration of the social
care workforce – a UK agenda - Social Caring ~ Care Council for Wales - Registration ~
DCLG: The government has launched a drive to
cut the level of fire-related youth crimes - such as arson, hoax calls and
attacks on firefighters. Action
includes the Fire & Rescue
Service working with Sure Start family centres to start fire safety
education early.
Hoax calls, attacks on firefighters and
associated anti-social behaviour are disproportionately committed by children
& young people and especially disadvantaged young
people:
·
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Children living in
deprived areas are 16 times more likely to die in a house fire and 31 times
more likely to suffer from an arson attack
·
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Equally, around
40% of all deliberate property & vehicle fires are linked to youth crime
and disorder.
Press release ~
2006 National Strategy for the Fire and Rescue Service Working with
Children and Young People ~ Strategy for Children and Young People: 2006-2008
Action Plan ~
Strategy for Children and Young People: Response to the Consultation
Exercise ~
Youth Training and Diversion in the Fire and Rescue Service: A Good
Practice Guide ~ Crime reduction Arson Toolkit ~
"XTINGUISH" youth intervention
programme ~ <
FONT color=#800080 size=2>Local Intervention Fire Education (LIFE) project in
London ~ London's Juvenile Firesetters Intervention
Scheme ~ Tyne and Wear, "Project Phoenix" ~ Firebreak in Essex ~ Chief Fire Officers' Association ~ Sure
Start ~
Youth Justice Board
ACE: Arts Council
·
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What do you value
about the arts?
·
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What principles
should guide public funding of the arts today?
·
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What are the
responsibilities of a publicly funded arts organisation?
·
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When should an
artist receive public money?
·
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Should members of
the public be involved in arts funding decisions?
Press release ~
Report on the first stages of research ~ Online debate ~ What is art
for?-TimesOnline ~ BBC Reith Lectures 2003 - The Emerging Mind ~
Art
Plus ~ Art
Therapy ~ Our Agenda for the Arts 2006-8 ~ Combined arts links ~ Arts
Funding ~ Young Brits at
Art
Gambling Commission:
This consultation paper (closes on 6 March
2007) addresses the issues that operators and the Commission face
with advertising in relation to the key values of keeping crime out of
gambling, ensuring that gambling is conducted fairly & openly and
protecting children and vulnerable people from being harmed or exploited by
gambling.
Press release ~
Advertising Messages consultation document ~ Gambling Commission Gambling Addiction and Problem Gambling help advice and
support -
Gamcare ~ Keeping crime out of
Gambling (scroll down)
Defra: Defra proposals, published for
consultation (closes on 8 May 2007), would
widen the range of premises which face Street Litter Control Notices to include all types of eating &
drinking venues and office buildings.
This is intended to give local authorities
the power to require the occupiers or owners to clear up litter in the
immediate area of their premises, including that created by their customers,
and to install disposal facilities or risk a fixed penalty notice of up to
£110.
When most enclosed workplaces become
smoke-free on
Press release ~
Health Act 2006 ~
DfT: Douglas Alexander has launched a
consultation (closes on
Among the questions it asks
are:
·
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Should smoke free
provisions be applied to all sea-going & inland waterway vessels carrying
passengers or crew employed under a contract of
employment?
·
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How should the
smoke free provisions be enforced and should the MCA be the enforcement
authority?
·
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Should the scale
of penalties be the same as those under the Health Act in
Press release ~
Consultation document ~ Stop smoking
start living ~ Marine
& Coastguard Agency (MCA) ~ ASH - What happens when you stop smoking?: Fact Sheet no.
11 ~ No Smoking Day 2007 ~ Smoke Free Public Places ~
DH - Tobacco ~
Get Unhooked
WAG: Ensuring that
Responding to Our Changing Climate
outlines the impacts expected in
·
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increased
temperature
·
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pressure on water
resources and
·
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increased risk of
flooding and extreme weather events
Press release ~
Responding to Our Changing Climate ~
WAG – Climate Change ~
Environment Strategy for
Wales
DWP / ODI: Minister for Disabled People, Anne
McGuire, has announced the launch of a public consultation (closes on 9 May
2007) to ask disabled people what
equality means to them and to gain their views on how Government can best
monitor progress towards equality for disabled people – See ‘In the News’ section
above.
CC: The Charity Commission has launched a
consultation (closes on 11 May 2007) on its
approach to Criminal Records Bureau
checks for trustees of charities working with children or vulnerable adults
– See ‘Charity and Voluntary Sector’
section below
DH: On a visit to Birmingham Heartlands NHS
Trust, Lord Hunt launched a strategy document – ‘Coding for success - simple technology for safer patient care'
- on using auto -identification & data capture (AIDC)
technologies.
By wearing a bar-coded wristband, a bar code
reader can be used to verify the patient's identity at any time and be an
extra check that the right patient is about to received the right care. At present errors, many of which are caused
by getting the patient identity wrong, cost the NHS around £2bn in extra bed days.
Their use to improve patient identification
& checking procedures in a day surgery unit at
The strategy document is intended to
encourage further use of product coding within industry and sets out a
programme of action that will
facilitate change both in the NHS and industry on a voluntary
basis.
Press release ~
'Coding for success - simple technology
for safer patient care' ~ Association of
British Healthcare Industries ~ GS1
UK ~ Technologies:
JISC (click on ‘RFID’) ~ Information Commissioner – RFID Technical
Guidance ~ RFID in Healthcare article ~ RFID Centre ~ RFid Gazette
Ofsted: There is a stark contrast between the
strongest & weakest Youth Services, with a significant minority of local
authorities failing to ensure that such services are properly integrated into
the new children’s services delivery structure, according to a new report
published by the Office for Standards in
Education (Ofsted).
Building on the best: overview of local
authority youth services 2005-06, states
that the quality of youth work is gradually improving with a greater proportion
judged good or better than in previous years. Of the 33 youth services inspected 15 youth were judged good or better, 11 adequate and 7 inadequate, which means that there is a
need for considerable improvement in 21% of the services
inspected.
Inspectors found that strong leadership is a
key factor in bringing about improvement and the most
successful services have a clear vision
and match resources to needs effectively.
Inspectors found that resources and quality are closely linked.
Press release ~
Building
on the best: overview of local authority youth services 2005-06 ~
National Council for Voluntary Youth Services ~ DfES Youth
Green Paper ~
JRF: Response to the ‘Transforming Youth Work’ DfES
consultation document ~ JRF: The role of street-based youth work in linking socially
excluded young people into education, training and work ~ Transforming Youth Work ~ Global Youth ~ <
FONT color=#0000ff>Draft statutory guidance for Local
Authorities ~ Things to do, places to go - Every Child Matters
~ Parent Checklist for Youth Activities ~ Respect - Youth activities ~ Nacro - Services – Youth activities ~ Physically Active Youth programme ~ National
Association of Youth Theatres ~ Community and Youth Workers
Union
ESRC: There is no single style of adult
leadership that is suitable for all types of nursery, day care provision,
reception class or children’s centre, according to research funded by the Economic and Social Research
Council.
The research was based on 12 case studies and
aimed to analyse what leadership meant, both to leaders and staff working in
early childhood education. The
project sought to establish what were the essential components and
characteristics of effective leadership and also sought to provide those
working with pre-school children a guide to best
practice.
Press release ~
How do they Manage? An investigation of
early childhood leadership ~ ESRC Society Today ~ Improving Scottish education - A report by HMIE on inspection and review
2002-2005: Pre-school sector ~ Standards site - Croydon: Leadership and management
project ~ Pre-school
Learning Alliance ~ Leadership Roles of a Pre-school Principal in the Use of
Information and Communication Technology: a Hong Kong experience ~
Collaboration for
transformation; why bother?
MoD: The Ministry of Defence has welcomed
the publication of the House of Commons
Defence Committee's report on the Defence Industrial Strategy. Following the format of previous
reports, the Committee looked at a wide range of issues, including defence
industrial restructuring; the maritime sector; competition & partnering
arrangements; research & technology; and international technology transfer.
The formal response to the HCDC report will
be sent to the Committee within two months
Press release ~
Defence Industrial Strategy ~ Defence Committee
report
CC: The Charity Commission has launched a
consultation (closes on
The CC ask to see CRB disclosures for
trustees as evidence that appropriate checks have been carried out, before an
organisation's application for charitable status is processed. However, they are now reviewing this
policy to ensure it is proportionate and as appropriate & effective as
possible.
Press release ~
Criminal Records Bureau checks of trustees of
charities ~ Registering as a charity: evidence of CRB disclosures
~ Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) – Use of Umbrella organisations to
register ~ CIPD - Recruitment of those working with children and vulnerable
adults
HMRC: HM Revenue & Customs has now
published factsheets in a number of languages (including Albanian, Bulgarian,
Czech, Hungarian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian,
Slovakian and Turkish) to help subcontractors when the New Construction Industry Scheme (New
CIS) starts on
The factsheets that have been translated
are:
·
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CIS 342 - Registering for New CIS - advice for
subcontractors
·
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CIS 343 - Applying to be paid gross - advice for
subcontractors
·
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CIS 344 - Getting paid by a contractor - advice for
subcontractors
If contractors need help to make a decision
on a subcontractor's employment status, they can use the Employment Status Indicator tool on the
HMRC website or call the CIS Helpline on 0845 366 7899 - lines are open 8am to
8pm Monday to Sunday (minicom 0845 366 7894) and help is available for people
for whom English is not their first language. In addition Business Support seminars will continue through
until at least May
Press release ~
CIS Factsheets ~ Business
Advice Open Days ~ Employer Talk ~ Employment Status Indicator ~ Business Support
seminars
HMRC: Revenue
& Customs Brief 17/07
This Brief gives details of
an article clarifying that Statement of Practice SP 13/91 was withdrawn with
effect from 6 April 2006 as notified in EIM 15170.
HMRC: Revenue
& Customs Brief 16/07
This Brief gives details of
an article concerning: Registered dealers in controlled oils: Public Notice
192.
HMRC: Revenue
& Customs Brief 15/07
This Brief provides an
update on filing PAYE in - year forms online. It also outlines the internal
changes HMRC will be introducing from April 2007.
HMRC: Revenue
& Customs Brief 14/07
This Brief gives details of
an article concerning: VAT: Changes to the rules on bad debt relief for goods
supplied on credit terms
HMRC: Revenue
& Customs Brief 13/07
This Brief gives details of
an article concerning: VAT: Fuel Scale Charge; new CO2
basis.
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