General Reports and Other Publications
NAO: A report released by the National Audit Office has found that the clinical treatment & rehabilitation of service personnel seriously injured on military operations are highly effective. The report notes, however, that the rate of illness & minor injury among personnel on operations has almost doubled in 3 years.
Medical capacity at both Selly Oak and Headley Court has been sufficient to deal with casualties to date, but it is under increasing pressure. In addition, the main field hospital in Afghanistan – CampBastion – is currently coping with casualty levels, but working close to capacity. Contingency plans for providing further capacity back in the UK for care for injured Service personnel have recently improved, but should be developed further.
The MOD has taken steps to provide support on operations to personnel at risk of developing mental health conditions but there are weaknesses in follow-up for those service personnel who deploy individually or move between units following deployment. See also MoD item in ‘In the News’ section.
Press release ~ NAO: MoD – Treating injury and illness arising from military operation ~ Executive summary ~ RFA Argus ~ Royal Naval Medical Services (RNMS) ~ A review of the clinical governance of the Defence Medical Services in the UK and overseas
PO: The Parliamentary Ombudsman, Ann Abraham, has published ‘Fast and fair?’ a report on the UK Border Agency (the Agency). The Agency have consistently generated a large number of complaints to the Ombudsman. In the first 9 months of 2009-10 the Ombudsman received 478 complaints about the Agency and reported on 33 investigations of which 97% were upheld in full or in part.
‘Fast and Fair?’ includes 11 case studies that reflect the large number & wide range of complaints referred to the Ombudsman by Members of Parliament. The cases involve applications for asylum, as well as the Agency’s core immigration & nationality work and applications for residence cards, which confirm rights of residence under European law.
NAO: The Pension Protection Fund, which protects private sector pensions, has delivered value for money in terms of investing efficiently & preparing adequately for the potential impact of future claims, according to a National Audit Office report. The PPF must take steps to ensure that it continues to deliver value for money in the future, particularly as its assets increase as more schemes transfer to the Fund.
The PPF offers protection to some 12.4m pensioners in private sector defined benefit (often known as final salary) pension schemes should their employer become insolvent.
The NAO found that the PPF currently manages its assets well and has not been exposed to severe losses in the recession. In 2008-09, the Fund’s investments, in aggregate, increased in value by 13.4%. The Fund has developed a suitable model to assess future liabilities and this has proved resilient to a range of stress tests.
The NAO found that the PPF currently manages its assets well and has not been exposed to severe losses in the recession. In 2008-09, the Fund’s investments, in aggregate, increased in value by 13.4%. The Fund has developed a suitable model to assess future liabilities and this has proved resilient to a range of stress tests.
Press release ~
ESRC: Issues such as redundancies, parenting & poverty often hit the headlines - but the crucial research behind the stories rarely gets the same attention. Without the work of social scientists policymakers would not have the necessary research evidence to back up new policies.
The Academy of Social Sciences (ACSS) has collected a number of stories which demonstrates how evidence-based research can be translated into policies that will improve everyone's wellbeing. The impact of social science research is wide reaching - from crime prevention, education & re-employment to healthy diets and the wellbeing of children.
Press release ~ Making the case for the social sciences: Wellbeing ~ Academy of Social Sciences ~ Economic and Social Research Council
Ofsted: Pupils in schools that use ‘managed’ online systems have a better knowledge & understanding of how to stay safe when using new technologies, according to a report published by Ofsted, the Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills.
Press release ~ The safe use of new technologies ~ Safer children in a digital world: the report of the Byron Review, 2008 ~ School self-evaluation: a response to the Byron Review (080203), Ofsted, 2008
Defra: An independent performance review of the Royal Botanic Gardens (RBG), Kew has praised its impressive achievements and set out recommendations to ensure the major plant science research facility & popular visitor attraction maintains & improves on its success in years to come.
The review, carried out on behalf of Defra, concluded that the RBG has met all of its statutory obligations since the last performance review in 2001, such as preservation & care for a wide variety of plant collections, undertaking research into the science of plants and ensuring the public have access to the collections.
FSA: The findings of a UK dietary survey, published by the Food Standards Agency, suggest that the nation is eating less saturated fat, trans fat & added sugar than it was 10 years ago. The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) is the first comprehensive survey of people’s eating patterns since 2001, when the survey was last carried out.
Despite these encouraging indications, people are, according to the NDNS, still eating too much added sugar (currently 12.5% of food energy intake compared to the recommended 11%) and not eating enough fibre, which is essential for healthy digestion.
CLG: Local people are far more satisfied with where they live following major changes brought about by a Government regeneration programme to transform areas of deprivation, according to a new report. The findings show that 74% of residents living in the 39 areas benefiting from the New Deal for Communities programme were satisfied with their areas, following major projects to improve housing & local environment, up by 13% since 2002.
The programme created 39 partnerships in the most deprived neighbourhoods around the country. Established in 1999/2000, each community-led partnership was funded by the Government to tackle multiple deprivation in its area, over a 10-year period.
Press release ~ New Deal for Communities programme ~ Interventions in Housing and the Physical Environment in deprived neighbourhoods: Evidence from the New Deal for Communities Programme (scroll down for related reports) ~ CLG: Neighbourhood renewal
DCSF: Almost three quarters of primary school children in England are now taking vegetables or salad as part of their average school lunch – following the introduction of mandatory standards for school food.
A national study carried out by the School Food Trust – the first of its kind since the Government’s new standards came into effect in 2006 – has found that the lunches taken by pupils in 2009 were healthier than those of children 4 years earlier.
NAO: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office lacks a clear strategy & comprehensive data to manage its overseas estate effectively, according to a report published by the National Audit Office. The FCO is taking positive steps to adapt its properties to new global challenges, but has not achieved value for money in the management of its estate as a whole.
The FCO’s strategy for managing its estate is high-level and the underpinning detail is scant. It does not lay out the requirements for the estate, whether the estate meets the requirements and how it will address the gaps.
Over half of the posts that responded to the NAO’s survey have unused office space or staff accommodation. Without a clear framework to assess the estate’s performance, it is difficult to evaluate the Department’s progress.
Over half of the posts that responded to the NAO’s survey have unused office space or staff accommodation. Without a clear framework to assess the estate’s performance, it is difficult to evaluate the Department’s progress.
Press release ~ NAO: Adapting the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s global estate to the modern world
ScotGov: A strong future for Scottish literature has been mapped out in a report published last week. One of the report's key recommendations is the establishment of a Scottish academy for literature designed to acknowledge & celebrate Scotland's best writers, poets and novelists across all genres. The report also recommends the support of writers' retreats and retreat spaces.
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