Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides
CRC: The Commission for Rural Communities has welcomed the government’s recent updating of PPS4: Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth. The new Planning Policy Statement (PPS) contains some positive adjustments to encourage planning decisions and local policies to support sustainable economic development in rural areas, for example that allowing development even though it may not be readily accessible by public transport (EC12.1b).
In our earlier advice to the Department of Communities and Local Government, they expressed concern about the application of the policy presumption for protection of open countryside and they continue to be concerned by reference in the new PPS4 to protecting the countryside ‘for the sake of its intrinsic character and beauty....’. Similarly it is occasionally important for planning authorities to accept that sustainable rural communities and economies need development that is not small scale, which is the form favoured in the new PPS 4.
DfT: New guidance to help local authorities take on powers to tackle problem road works have been published by Transport Minister Sadiq Khan MP as Kent CC - the first council to apply for such powers - brings them into force.
Road works permit schemes give councils more power to coordinate road works and to take tough action when they overrun. Once a scheme is in place companies must apply for a permit before they start road works and abide by conditions on timing, coordination or the amount of road space to be left available to road users during the works. Anyone who breaks the terms of their permit or works without a permit could be prosecuted and face a fine of up to £5,000.
ScotGov: A toolkit with case studies, film clips, images and a bank of slides designed to help teachers talk confidently to parents about the new Curriculum for Excellence, has been launched. The toolkit is primarily an on-line resource for headteachers &teachers. The elements in print are posters for school notice boards and leaflets for parents that explain each level - early years, primary & secondary.
Press release ~ Curriculum for Excellence Toolkit ~ Information for parents ~ National Parent Forum ~ Learning and Teaching Scotland (LTS)
NICE: Thousands of lives could be saved with the help of a new guideline on preventing blood clots in hospital patients, published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The guideline focuses on reducing the risk of deep vein thrombosis (blood clots blocking veins, also commonly known as DVT) in patients admitted to hospital. If a blood clot breaks away it may travel to the lungs and cause a blockage - a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism.
An estimated 25,000 people who are admitted to hospital die from preventable venous thromboembolism each year. The NICE guideline, jointly developed with the National Clinical Guideline Centre for Acute and Chronic Conditions, recommends that all patients should be assessed for risk of developing blood clots on admission to hospital and then given preventative treatment that suits their individual needs. Importantly, this advice covers all patients admitted to hospital - including those having day-case procedures - and not just those patients having surgery.
Press release ~ Reducing the risk of venous thromboembolism (deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) in patients admitted to hospital
NICE: Following a legal challenge to the process used to produce the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s existing guidance on prevention of osteoporotic fractures, the original recommendations remain unchanged in the updated guidance documents just published.
This means that postmenopausal women with osteoporosis at risk of fractures will continue to have access to a range of drugs to help either prevent them suffering a first fracture (primary prevention) or prevent further fractures after they have suffered one (secondary prevention). The guidance documents have been updated to reflect the Appraisal Committee’s consideration of the additional stakeholder comments received following a further consultation in line with the court judgement.
The treatments NICE recommends for primary and secondary prevention of osteoporotic fractures are not affected, and the range of options still stands. As the guidance recommendations published in October 2008 are unchanged, the original review date for this guidance is also unchanged, remaining scheduled for July 2010.
Press release ~ Alendronate, etidronate, risedronate, raloxifene and strontium ranelate for the primary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures in postmenopausal women ~ Alendronate, etidronate, risedronate, raloxifene, strontium ranelate and teriparatide for the secondary prevention of osteoporotic fragility fractures in postmenopausal women
LDA: Businesses & organisations in London can learn how to cut carbon pollution from their buildings – with the help of a new toolkit published by the Better Buildings Partnership. GE Capital Real Estate recently installed Automated Meter Reading (AMR) technology at their London HQ allowing them to monitor energy and water consumption on a half hourly basis. This resulted in savings of around £60,000 a year, paying back their installation costs within a month – See ‘Industry News’ section for more information.
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