General Reports and Other Publications

TKF: Anna Dixon, Director of Policy at The King’s Fund, has commented on the publication of the Public Accounts Committee’s report on the performance of the Care Quality Commission, saying: ……. “The main responsibility for ensuring care standards are met lies with frontline staff and hospital boards.  We must be realistic about what the regulator can do – its role is to act as a backstop when they fail in this task.
 
The Commission had a troubled beginning, exacerbated by a lack of clarity about its role and a failure to provide the resources needed for it to meet the enormous and complex task it was given”.
Press release & links ~ CQC response to PAC report
 
MonitorMonitor has published an independent report to ‘inform the development of its policy on approving local modifications to the national tariff’. It is another part of the growing evidence base that Monitor will use to determine its approach as sector regulator.
Press release & links
 
PC&PE: The Foreign Affairs Committee's report considers the Government's efforts to cultivate Turkey as a ‘strategic partner’ for the UK and to support Turkey's accession to the European Union. 

It concludes that the Government is right to continue to support Turkey's accession to the European Union, as long as Ankara meets the accession criteria, and subject to the Government imposing restrictions on the right to free movement from Turkey after it joins.
 
However, at the moment, shortcomings in Turkey's justice system are leading to human rights abuses and making it harder to advocate Turkey's EU membership, the Committee said.  The Committee found that the current climate in Turkey is limiting freedom of expression and the media. 
Press release & links
 
IISS: The International Institute for Strategic Studies comment on the situation in the Falklands region, as Argentina adopts an increasingly assertive strategy of regional diplomacy & economic pressure.
Press release & links
 
OfstedA report published by Ofsted, called ‘Right on Time’, found that the most significant cause of delay for children needing adoption is the length of time it takes for cases to be completed in court. The average time taken to complete care proceedings in the cases inspectors examined was almost 14 months.
Press release & links ~ Ofsted:  LAs must adopt speedier placements
 
FSA: The recording of presentations from the Food Standards Agency’s contribution to the recent National Science and Engineering Week is now on our YouTube channel.   The event at The Royal Society, brought together a range of experts to describe the work currently taking place to evaluate potential risks to food safety & security.
Press release & links
 
HOFocusing on victims and changing the attitudes of police & partners is the key to tackling anti-social behaviour, according to a Home Office report published recently. The report, 'Focus on the victim: Summary report on the ASB call handling trials’, summarises the findings of 8 police forces which trialled new approaches to handling calls from the public.
Press release ~ Focus on the victim: Summary report on the ASB call handling trials
Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story