Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
YF: Yorkshire Forward is urging businesses across Yorkshire, who are concerned about the way flooding might affect them, to contact Business Link for help & advice, as it has created a flood risk assessment guide.
The Pitt Review, an independent publication on the flooding emergency commissioned by the Government, said that the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) provided a ‘crucial link between the needs of business and the policies of the Government’, putting businesses in touch with the necessary support and quickly & efficiently responding to the needs of local businesses.
Press release ~ Flood risk assessment guide ~ Pitt review ~ Consultation on property-level flood protection and resilience ~ Defra's adaptation framework ~ National Flood Emergencies Framework ~ Property-level flood protection and resilience ~ Defra – Flood Management Insurance ~ Planning Policy Statement 25: Development and Flood Risk - Practice Guide ~ Defra – Flood & coastal erosion risk management
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health have published a guideline on the diagnosis & management of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children, young people and adults.
ADHD is a common behavioural disorder in children and young people estimated to affect up to 3% of school-age children & young people in the UK and about 2% of adults worldwide. The symptoms of ADHD include:
* being inattentive (unable to concentrate for very long or finish a task)
* hyperactivity (fidgety & unable to sit still) and
* impulsive (speaking without thinking about the consequences)
Press release ~ Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Diagnosis and management of ADHD in children, young people and adults ~ National Collaborating Centre for Mental Health ~ NHS Direct - ADHD ~ National Attention Deficit Disorder Information and Support Service ~ MIND – Understanding ADHD ~ BBC – Drugs not the answer ~ DH invites proposals to undertake a systematic review of research literature on the causes of ADHD
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published final guidance on the use of oseltamivir, amantadine and zanamivir for the prophylaxis of influenza. This guidance does not cover the circumstances of a pandemic, an impending pandemic, or a widespread epidemic of a new strain of influenza to which there is little or no community resistance.
Press release ~ Oseltamivir, amantadine and zanamivir for the prophylaxis of influenza (including a review of TA67) ~ Amantadine, oseltamivir and zanamivir for the treatment of influenza (review of existing guidance No. 58) ~ National Flu Pandemic Framework ~ Preparation for potential pandemic influenza (Avian influenza)
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) and the National Collaborating Centre for Chronic Conditions has published a guideline which will help save lives of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD). The guideline sets out:
* how best to identify who has CKD
* who is at risk of progression & at risk of serious complications
* how to manage their care
CKD is a common condition encompassing problems such as abnormal kidney function or structure, with an estimated 3.4 million people in the UKhaving moderate or severe CKD. The majority of individuals with this condition do not experience any symptoms and therefore may be unaware that they have it, but there are simple tests which can detect the condition. If CKD remains undetected, it can progress to established kidney failure requiring dialysis or transplantation, very poor health and in some cases early death.
Press release ~ Early identification and management of chronic kidney disease in adults in primary and secondary care ~
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published new public health guidance on reducing the rate of premature deaths from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other smoking-related diseases. The guidance is designed to help tackle health inequalities by making recommendations about the best ways to identify & support those most at risk and improve access to services.
The Guidance has been developed specifically for smoking cessation services and the provision of statins and is aimed at general practices, PCTs, community services and local authorities with a remit for tackling health inequalities.
Press release ~ Identifying and supporting people most at risk of dying prematurely ~ Cardiovascular risk assessment and the modification of blood lipids for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease ~ Smoking cessation services in primary care, pharmacies, local authorities and workplaces, particularly for manual working groups, pregnant women and hard to reach communities ~ Brief interventions and referral for smoking cessation in primary care and other settings ~ Statins for the prevention of cardiovascular events ~ Health Inequalities Intervention Tool
LLUK: In September 2007 the government introduced reforms to the education & development of teachers in England. The Further Education Workforce Reforms include the introduction of a new professional status and associated qualifications for teachers, tutors & trainers and apply to organisations delivering learning programmes funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC).
Lifelong Learning UK, together with partners, has created guidance to explain how the reforms impact on those who deliver Adult and Community Learning, Offender Learning and who deliver learning in the Third Sector.
