General Reports and Other Publications
DWP: New research has been published by the Department for Work and Pensions on the Australian system for designing & implementing contracted employment provision. Australia has more than a decade of experience in contracting out employment services. This research summarises that experience & identifies design & implementation lessons for the British context.
In Australia there is a viable network of for-profit and non-profit providers. Providers have used their flexibility to deliver new service delivery models that, at their best, allowed case managers to tailor services to different participants. The incentive system also focused providers and their case managers on helping participants to gain entry into sustained employment.
Press release ~ DWP RR No 752 – Job Services Australia: design & implementation lessons for the British Context
NICE: Access to psychological therapies in hospital wards ‘falls far short of acceptable standards’, according to a new report. While most wards provide training in basic psychological therapies, research suggests that only 38% of patients have been offered supportive counselling. Furthermore, figures show less only 29% of patients receive access to talking therapies, and almost a quarter of patients that request such therapy do not actually receive it.
The figures come from a report published by the Royal College of Psychiatrists, which outlines 10 standards that it says are essential for the treatment of working-age adult inpatients in mental healthcare wards. One standard calls for access to psychological treatment, stating that psychological therapies are "an integral part of the recovery process”. This follows NICE's updated guideline on interventions in the treatment & management of schizophrenia in primary & secondary care.
DWP: A report is published recently by the Department for Work and Pensions covering the European Social Fund Evaluation of Sustainable Development and Green Jobs. This was a mixed methods study, which featured a review of relevant documentation, findings from a programme of qualitative research, including interviews with stakeholders, a telephone survey of projects and case studies of a sample of projects.
Press release ~ DWP RR No. 756: ‘European Social Fund Evaluation of Sustainable Development and Green Jobs’
NO: A joint investigation by the Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman has revealed how a vulnerable adult in Merseyside, referred to as Mr B, was let down by the joint service provided by the NHS trust and council responsible for his care.
In a report published on 5 July 2011, the two Ombudsmen describe how the joint Community Mental Health service of the 5 Boroughs Partnership NHS Trust and St Helens Metropolitan Borough Council failed to monitor Mr B & respond to signs that he was at risk, resulting in the serious deterioration of his living conditions and the neglect of his personal health.
JRF: The Joseph Rowntree Foundation reports that ‘many families now need to earn over 20% more than they did last year to achieve a minimum acceptable standard of living’, according to research published recently. Earnings needed to cover basic living costs have risen more for families with children than for other groups, such as single people. A couple with 2 children now need to earn at least £18,400 each if both work full time.
Newswire - WWF Cymru: WWF Cymru is urging the Welsh Government to deliver on its ‘One Planet’ promise of ‘making Wales a sustainable nation, in the face of climate change and rising energy bills’. In Cardiff last week the Charity brought together leading experts to discuss the issues facing Carwyn Jones' new administration and launch a new WWF Cymru report - Embedding the ‘One Planet’ Aspiration in Welsh Government 2011 - which sets out how the Welsh Government can deliver on its bold commitments to a greener Wales.
nef: As the gap on pay & pensions widens between directors & other staff, British business should disclose the ratio between their highest & lowest paid employees, to promote greater workplace equality & economic efficiency, says a new report from the independent think-tank nef (the new economics foundation).
The report, The Ratio, argues that inequality in the workplace, as well as being inefficient, drives inequality in society more broadly, carrying high costs. It cites research revealing, counter-intuitively, how high pay worsens performance of top executives rather than being an effective incentive. nef is calling for businesses to adopt a new Charter of Responsible Pay, which would include revealing the pay ratio within the company on the front of their annual reports.
ippr: A tax on the emissions of power companies (which is due to begin in 2013)will do nothing to reduce carbon and ‘threatens to sully the reputation of policies aimed at tackling climate change’, according to a new report - Hot Air: The carbon price floor in the UK - published by the think tank Institute for Public Policy Research.
PC&PE: The convoluted & overly complicated complaints process at the BBC must be improved, say the Lords Communications Committee in a recent report The Committee has conducted an inquiry into the governance & regulation of the BBC, and have identified a number of areas of governance that the BBC needs to upgrade.
PC&PE: UK funding for World Bank aid programmes should be withheld if the Bank does not stop financing new unabated coal-fired power stations in developing countries, MPs warn in a report published recently.
The committee states that the UK should only provide funding for multilateral institutions with strong environmental credentials. The current scale of the World Bank's lending to fossil fuel powered energy generation is unacceptable and the committee urges the Government to be prepared to vote against new World Bank funding for high emissions coal-fired power stations.
PC&PE: The Commons Public Accounts Committee has published a report which, on the basis of evidence from the Cabinet Office, examines the Government's new strategy for ICT. The Rt Hon Margaret Hodge MP, Chair of the Committee of Public Accounts, said:
"We welcome the direction and principles of the Government’s new strategy for ICT, but it is hugely ambitious and lacks detail about how it will be delivered. The strategy lacks a proper baseline from which progress can be measured. Simply listing actions to be achieved within 2 years is not good enough”.
The implementation plan, due to be published this summer, must include clear indicators that can be used by this Committee to evaluate the success of the strategy and whether it is delivering good value for money. ICT-enabled projects have been too big and too ambitious and we welcome the move towards smaller, more iterative projects”.
PC&PE: In a report released the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee, it says it was ‘appalled’ by allegations – made in evidence to the committee – about the conduct of members of the FIFA Executive Committee during the 2018 World Cup Bid process. The Committee says the allegations merit a full, urgent and independent investigation.
The committee recommends that the FA conduct a review of its 2018 bid, saying England's bid team appears to have lacked a number of the components of a successful bid. The committee also urges the Government to review its advice and its own actions on bidding for international sporting events.
TWF: The UK needs to generate more high quality jobs which allow people to re-connect to the purpose of the businesses they work in, argues a major report from the Good Work Commission. The report Good Work and Our Times is the culmination of a 2-year investigation into the benefits of improving job quality in the UK.
TWF: The UK’s financial sector is systematically failing SMEs which could provide the greatest source of innovation, jobs & growth, according to a submission to the Independent Commission on Banking (ICB) by Will Hutton from The Work Foundation.
His paper, co-authored with Paul Nightingale from SPRU at Sussex University, shows that firms with the greatest potential for high growth are the most likely to face financial restraints on their growth. This is leading to a “discouraged economy in which innovation, investment and dynamism are stymied by a self-serving and inflexible banking sector.”
NAO: The new scheme for paying MPs’ allowances & expenses, introduced by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA), was set up with commendable speed, is safeguarding public money and is making a significant contribution to increasing public confidence.
However, IPSA did not have enough regard to the effect of the scheme on the ability of MPs to fulfil their duties, nor to the costs falling upon them during its first year of operations. In addition, the new scheme does not give enough importance to helping MPs spend in a cost-effective way.
NAO: The National Audit Office has expressed deep concern about risks to value for money from the changes to the aircraft carrier & associated Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft project made in the 2010 Strategic Defence & Security Review (SDSR).
This report highlights the complex inter-relationship between the various cost, short-term affordability, military and industrial factors involved in the Carrier Strike decision. The NAO also identifies two principal risks to value for money on Carrier Strike.
CSJ: Poor work attitudes among the long-term unemployed are the major barrier to tackling Britain’s jobless crisis, according to a major new report. Based on a survey & extensive interviews with employers, the report says that a commitment to hard work, presentation & punctuality is more important than literacy & numeracy skills when firms fill ‘entry level jobs’ typically staffed by unskilled workers.
HEFCE: A report published recently shows how Higher Education Funding Council England funding for internships during the recession has boosted graduate employment & employability, increased the number of businesses working with higher education and increased the number of people participating in internships.
HEFCE has funded 2 separate internship programmes, one for graduates, and the other for undergraduate students. Overall, the report finds that students & graduates reported strong development of employability skills and an increase in confidence directly attributable to their internship experience. The majority of employers reported that interns brought new energy & fresh insights to their business and the value of the intern exceeded expectations.
BIS: Two new reports, ‘The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in the UK Market Sector’ and ‘Film, Television & Radio, Books, Music and Art: UK Investment in Artistic Originals’ commissioned by the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), highlight that more money than ever before is being invested in products & services that have protection in copyright, designs, patents and trade marks.
The reports also show that £3bn of copyright investment is not included in National Accounts, meaning that a substantial amount of money is not accounted for in the value of intellectual property growth. The IPO is now working with the Office of National Statistics (ONS) to factor that into Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2012.
Press release & links ~ Film, Television & Radio, Books, Music and Art: UK Investment in Artistic Originals ~ The Role of Intellectual Property Rights in the UK Market Sector
Newswire – NHSConfed: A report - The legacy of primary care trusts - assesses the performance of PCTs from their launch in 2000 to the present, as they ‘cluster’ ahead of their phasing out by April 2013. Despite PCTs having often been the subject of considerable criticism, evidence shows they have collectively delivered what was asked of them in almost all major policy areas.
ESRC: A new study has brought into focus how policymakers & health providers can take into account variations in lifestyle among different ethnic groups. Funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the research found that men from most of the minority ethnic groups studied, and women from Pakistani & Bangladeshi groups, are more likely than their white counterparts to eat the recommended 5 portions of fruit or vegetables a day. Pakistani & Bangladeshi men & women and Indian & Chinese women are less likely to be as physically active.
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