General Reports and Other Publications

HC: Long waits for endoscopies have been eliminated in many parts of the country, but some people are still waiting too long for the procedures, particularly in the south east, according to a report published by the Healthcare Commission. Just over a million patients in undergo an endoscopy each year

The report also highlights concerns about the quality of care for patients undergoing an endoscopy, a procedure used to detect conditions such as bowel cancer and stomach ulcers. Taking a Closer Look is the second of three reports from the Healthcare Commission, which together present a comprehensive assessment of diagnostic services in during the period 2005/06.

At the time of the review, some patients were waiting more than a year for a routine colonoscopy and some less than a month for the same procedure. At the end of last year, in the south east, 50% of patients had been waiting for more than 26 weeks for a colonoscopy, while in north east less than 0.2% of patients had been waiting this long.
Press release
~ Taking a closer look – endoscopy services in acute trusts ~ National Bowel Cancer Screening Programme ~ DH: Bowel cancer screening - the facts ~ Bowel Cancer UK ~ D H: Bowel cancer screening policy

Monitor: NHS foundation trusts should provide incentives to engage clinicians in every aspect of service provision. Devolving decisions creates a culture of shared responsibility for clinical, operational & financial outcomes. That was the message at a recent Monitor conference on service-line reporting (SLR) for NHS foundation trusts.

Two new publications on SLR launched at the conference describe the possibilities for ‘incentivising’ clinicians in order to change the management structure at NHS organisations and utilise their ‘shop floor’ knowledge in the planning process.
Press release ~ Monitor ~ Getting the most out of managing service lines: using service-line reporting in the annual planning process ~ Getting the most out of managing service lines: organisational change and incentive-based performance management

Cabinet Office: Cabinet Secretary, Sir Gus O'Donnell, has announced publication of five more Capability Reviews alongside a summary report on the key themes emerging from all twelve Reviews published so far.

Reviews were published for the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and Departments for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, International Development and Culture, Media & Sport. By the summer - a year into the programme - 15 reports will have been published covering nearly 80% of the Civil Service.
Press release ~ Capa bility Reviews and summary reports ~ NAO Efficiency Toolkit ~ Gus’s Vision on Civil Service Reform ~ Cabinet Office – Civil Service reform

DfT: The Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) has released its report into two separate derailments of passenger trains on the Ravenglass & Eskdale railway on 29th May and 5th July 2006.

Press release ~ Rail Accident Investigation Branch (RAIB) ~ Passenger train derailments on the Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway on 29 May & 5 July 2006 ~ DfT Railways

HM Treasury: Brian Pomeroy, the Chairman of the Financial Inclusion Taskforce, has published his review into Christmas hamper savings schemes, which was commissioned following the collapse of Farepak. The review argues that these schemes are valued by many, particularly low-income, households, but that it is essential that money paid in advance to hamper scheme companies is properly protected.

However, the review also argues that it is important that there is genuine consumer choice and encourages mainstream financial services providers & major retailers to compete in this market and recommends that more is done to inform & educate consumers about the advantages & disadvantages of the range of Christmas savings options available to families.

In addition to responding to the report, Ed Balls, Economic Secretary, also published the publication of Financial inclusion: the way forward setting out the next steps for the Government's work to tackle financial exclusion.

The OFT has announced that it is to carry out awareness campaign following Farepak collapse.
Review press release ~ HM Treasury press release ~ OFT press release ~ Pomeroy Review Report ~ Financial inclusion: the way forward ~ Family resource survey ~ Financial Inclusion Taskforce ~ Transact - the national forum for financial inclusion ~ Fa repak: review of the regulatory framework - Advice from the OFT

DH: Two new reports on vCJD (variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease) have been published as part of on-going work to manage the risks associated with the disease.

The first was produced by the vCJD Clinical Governance Advisory Group (CGAG) and it proposes the creation of patient-focused clinical governance arrangements to standardise the care that patients at risk of vCJD receive across the country. It recommends that GPs should take the lead in commissioning care for them, supported by consultant neurologists and specialist centres such as the National CJD Surveillance Unit and the National Prion Clinic.

The second report, commissioned by the Health Protection Agency, examines attitudes of key stakeholders towards the possible future introduction of a vCJD test for blood donations and finds a number of issues around the potential introduction of such a test.
Press release ~ CGAG report ~ HPA Blood Test report ~ DH – Clinical Governance ~ National CJD Surveillance Unit ~ Natio nal Prion Clinic ~ DH - CJD ~ CJD Resource Centre ~ Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC)

Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story