Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
NICE: In draft guidance issued last week (11 March) NICE's expert independent advisory committee has NOT recommended trabectedin (Yondelis, PharmaMar) in combination with pegylated liposomal doxorubicin (PLDH) as a treatment for ovarian cancer because of concerns over how well it works compared with the most commonly-used treatments. This draft guidance is now with consultees who have the opportunity to appeal against the proposed recommendation. NICE has not yet issued final guidance to the NHS.
Press release and related links
QCDA: The 2011 Guidance for schools on monitoring visits, Guidance for local authorities on monitoring visits and Monitoring visit form are now available to download from the QCDA website.
DH: A new tool to help the NHS better treat cardiovascular disease in every area of the country was launched by the Department of Health. The tool has been developed so that local health services can assess the impact of cardiovascular diseases on their local populations. It also shows the quality & availability of services and where a stronger focus on prevention could improve outcomes for patients.
The NHS will be able to use the detailed local picture it provides to better understand the burden of cardiovascular disease & compare it to the England average. It shows widespread variation in mortality rates from cardiovascular disease across England, with a higher incidence amongst people who live in deprived areas.
Press release and related links
LLUK: This guide is intended to support the lifelong learning sector to make the reasonable adjustments disabled employees require and take anticipatory measures required by recent legislation.
Press release and related links
Newswire – ICO: 40% of people who have Wi-Fi at home do not understand how to change the security settings on their wireless (Wi-Fi) networks. To highlight the need for a greater understanding of the security measures available to wireless network owners, the Information Commissioner’s Office has published new guidance which explains how people can check the security settings on their Wi-Fi router and provides information on how to make the network more secure, including setting up a strong password to stop other people accessing the network and making sure the information sent over the device is encrypted.
Press release and related links
SGC: The Sentencing Council has published a new guideline for judges & magistrates. It aims to ensure a consistent & proportionate approach to sentencing, with convicted offenders receiving a sentence that reflects both the harm they have caused to their victim and their culpability. The new guideline will come into effect on 13 June 2011.
It covers a wide range of offences of violence, from causing grievous bodily harm with intent to common assault, with the intention that ‘sentences for the whole range of assault offences should be proportionate to each other, so that offenders who cause serious harm are punished with substantial prison sentences, but that courts make more use of community sentences for offenders who cause no or very minor injury’.
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has issued final draft guidance recommending golimumab (Simponi, Merck Sharpe & Dohme) for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis.
Press release and related links
