.gif)
In the News
CQC: Another rotten apple in the NHS barrel? - The Care Quality Commission recently published its full investigation report into University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust.
It found that despite action taken by the trust in response to earlier concerns & recommendations made in earlier reviews, patients remained at risk of poor care, particularly those in A&E and other parts of the hospital that provided urgent care.
It found that despite action taken by the trust in response to earlier concerns & recommendations made in earlier reviews, patients remained at risk of poor care, particularly those in A&E and other parts of the hospital that provided urgent care.
Other key findings of the report include:
* Concerns remain regarding inconsistent incident reporting practices; lack of learning from incidents and poor use of performance information to drive change
* Little evidence of the whole trust working together to drive change & improvements in care
* An apparent ‘shared helplessness’ among staff
*Staffing levels across some parts of the trust were inadequate.
* There were concerns about the trust’s ability to effectively manage the quality of service delivery
Press release & links ~ CQC calls for action to improve care for older people ~ Patients Association launches damning report into poor care in England’s Hospitals (scroll down for report) ~ NPC: Devising a code is easy, getting staff agreement is not difficult, achieving 100% compliance is the tough bit (2nd item) ~ Monitor: Good Practice must be spread to all NHS Hospital Trusts (4th item) ~ WAG: Ensuring Nursing Care is ‘fit for purpose’ (4th item) ~ Medical, nursing and care professionals must be able to report poor practice says Health Committee ~ Health Committee publishes reports on healthcare regulators ~ Patients Association response ~ Health Service Ombudsman: Care and Compassion? ~ PA response
HMT: Building our way to a more prosperous future - The Chancellor of the Exchequer and Chief Secretary to the Treasury have unveiled a new UK Guarantees scheme to ‘dramatically accelerate major infrastructure investment and provide major support to UK exporters’.
Applications are now open for UK Guarantees to kick start critical infrastructure projects that may have stalled because of adverse credit conditions. Up to £40bn of projects that are ready or nearly ready could qualify and, subject to legislation, the first guarantees are expected to be awarded in the Autumn. To qualify, these projects must be ready to start in the 12 months following a guarantee being given.
Also from last week, a new temporary lending programme, as part of UK Guarantees, will be available to ensure that around 30 public private partnership infrastructure projects worth an estimated £6bn in the next 12 months can go ahead.
Also from last week, a new temporary lending programme, as part of UK Guarantees, will be available to ensure that around 30 public private partnership infrastructure projects worth an estimated £6bn in the next 12 months can go ahead.
A major £5bn export refinancing facility will be available later this year as part of UK Guarantees to provide long-term loans for overseas buyers of UK exports at competitive rates by guaranteeing a series of short-term bank loans.
Press release & links ~ Credit Easing ~ National Loan Guarantee Scheme (NLGS) ~ Business Finance Partnership (BFP) ~
UKOC: Have you moved to e-service delivery? - Between 14 September 2011 and 30 April 2012, UK online centres worked collaboratively with Sheffield City Council, Jobcentre Plus, Citizens Advice and The Pensions Service on an innovative project in Sheffield to increase awareness of the benefits of using online public services.
The Sheffield Channel Shift project, led by UKOC, was a unique city-wide project that encouraged, inspired & mentored organisations to embrace a collaborative approach to digital by default service delivery, and to support individuals to use online services.
If you are a local authority, a medium-sized organisation or a local community partner and you would like to build a similar partnership in your area you can use the FREE UKOC toolkit and read the Sheffield Channel Shift report.
Press release ~ Free toolkit ~ Sheffield Channel Shift report ~ UKOC: Use public services online ~ Socitm: Planting the Flag ~ Making public services ‘digital by default’: new Socitm guide ~ Government Digital Service ~ Assisted Digital ~ Good Practice Guides: Enabling Trusted Transactions ~ Service transformation: A better service for citizens and businesses, a better deal for the taxpayer ~ Effective service delivery ~ National eService Delivery Standards Programme ~ Directgov: Do it online ~ Consumer Focus: Online public services ~ Online or in-line: the future of information and technology in public services ~ Online Public Services Manifesto ~ OPSM video ~ LocalGovTV ~ The Future of Joined-up Public Services ~ Digital by Default? Online public services and digital inclusion in Wales
CLG: Applying the Pareto Principle to social care of families who are in / cause trouble - Louise Casey CB has published a report highlighting the chaotic personal histories of the kinds of families who will be targeted as part of the Government's commitment to turn around the lives of 120,000 troubled families by 2015.
The report details stark real-life accounts from families, with experiences often passed from generation to generation, such as domestic & sexual abuse, teenage pregnancies, poor parenting, social care interventions, police call outs and educational failure.
It also contains her early conclusions that a whole-family approach is often best for dealing with multiple & inter-linked problems; rather than approaches that deal with single problems or single individuals within a household.
Press release ~ Listening to Troubled Families: A report by Louise Casey CB ~ CLG: Troubled families ~ Related previous PR & links ~ LGA response to Government's 'troubled families' announcement ~ CLG: Tackling troubled families ~ CLG: Cost effective co-operation could deliver big savings (1st item) ~ IPPR comment ~ DWP: £200 million payment by results scheme to help troubled families ~ Big Society innovation aims to get families out of deprivation ~ DfE: Focus on families - new drive to help troubled families ~ Adfam: The troubled families agenda - what does it all mean? ~ PSE: Flaws in the government’s ‘troubled’ families strategy ~ LGA: Troubled Families – working in partnership ~ BBC2: Neil Morrissey – Care Home Kid ~ Full report: History and Family: Setting the Records Straight. A rebuttal to the British Academy pamphlet Happy families? ~ A New Secret Garden? ~ Ready or Not campaign ~ Pareto Principle
FSA: A chance to ensure a safer ‘food future’ - The Food Standards Agency is joint-funding 2 early-career fellowships in food safety. The 5-year fellowships will support scientists who wish to pursue research into areas such as combating foodborne diseases or emerging issues affecting food safety.
Working with the FSA, the fellows will also be encouraged to use their research expertise to contribute to relevant policy initiatives. Applications for the fellowships are now open (deadline 20 September 2012).
FSA: A chance to ensure a safer ‘food future’ - The Food Standards Agency is joint-funding 2 early-career fellowships in food safety. The 5-year fellowships will support scientists who wish to pursue research into areas such as combating foodborne diseases or emerging issues affecting food safety.
Working with the FSA, the fellows will also be encouraged to use their research expertise to contribute to relevant policy initiatives. Applications for the fellowships are now open (deadline 20 September 2012).
HMRC: Last chance - HM Revenue & Customs are reminding tax credit claimants that they have until 31 July 2012 to renew their claims. If they do not renew their claims in time, payments could stop.
Press release & links
Latest Case Study: Scottish Public Embrace 1st Ever ‘Report it’ Smartphone App - In October 2011, as part of a nation-wide Customer First Channel Shift initiative, North Ayrshire Council launched the nation’s first integrated “Report It” Smartphone app, enabling citizens to report problems like graffiti and potholes to the council while on the go.
The introduction of mobile services to citizens is part of a strategy of transitioning to more cost-effective channels that promise better, more efficient customer service. By launching the “Report It” app, the council were able to evaluate the case for “mobilizing” other council services.
“The launch itself was also very much a way for us to dip our toe in the water to see if we could build a strong business case for moving forward with additional mobile services for North Ayrshire’s 135,000 resident citizens.” – Esther Gunn Stewart, Customer Services Manager, North Ayrshire Council.
With over 1100 downloads so far, the app is already the second channel of choice for reporting street-related problems, exceeding the council website as a channel and representing 18% of reports filed. Success has the council is now moving forward with other mobile projects.
Click here to view and download the full case study.
The introduction of mobile services to citizens is part of a strategy of transitioning to more cost-effective channels that promise better, more efficient customer service. By launching the “Report It” app, the council were able to evaluate the case for “mobilizing” other council services.
“The launch itself was also very much a way for us to dip our toe in the water to see if we could build a strong business case for moving forward with additional mobile services for North Ayrshire’s 135,000 resident citizens.” – Esther Gunn Stewart, Customer Services Manager, North Ayrshire Council.
With over 1100 downloads so far, the app is already the second channel of choice for reporting street-related problems, exceeding the council website as a channel and representing 18% of reports filed. Success has the council is now moving forward with other mobile projects.
Click here to view and download the full case study.
Please note that previously published newsletters can be accessed from the Newsletter Archive
