Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides

LLUKLifelong Learning UK have published a document which supports the Workforce Strategy for the Further Education Sector in England 2011.  It was produced in partnership with the Association of Colleges (AoC), the 157 Group, and the Sixth Form Colleges’ Forum (SFCF) for use by further education colleges & sixth form colleges in planning workforce development.
Press release
 
QCDA: The Diploma validator tool has been withdrawn from service and is no longer available for schools & colleges to use to create & validate programmes of study for Diploma students.  Schools & colleges should now create, validate & assign planned programmes of study to Diploma students using the PPoS feature in the Diploma aggregation service (DAS).
Press release
 
NICE: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence has recently published its final guidance on the use of a scanner that can help improve how burns are treated.  The medical technology guidance supports the use of the moorLDI2-BI, a laser doppler blood flow imaging system for the non-invasive mapping of blood flow in burnt skin which can help experienced clinicians to assess the severity of burns more accurately.
Press release
 
NICE: NICE recently published a new guideline on colonoscopic surveillance for the prevention of colorectal cancer in people with ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease or adenomas.  Colonoscopic surveillance in people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, which covers ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease) or adenomas can detect problems early and potentially prevent progression to colorectal cancer.
Press release
 
LLUKLifelong Learning UK have provided the links for all the information you need to implement the Equality Framework for Career Guidance in your organisation.
Press release
 
FSA: The Food Standards Agency is reminding local authorities & dairy businesses about the rules on the sale of raw drinking milk and unpasteurised dairy products.  This follows the announcement by Defra that cattle testing positive for bovine tuberculosis, known as TB reactors, are to be tracked using their DNA to further strengthen controls to prevent the spread of TB.
 
This action is being taken as emerging evidence suggests that some farmers in the South West of England & the Midlands have been illegally swapping ear tags of TB reactors. The process of pasteurisation destroys the bacteria that cause TB and other pathogens that may be harmful to human health.  The risk from consuming pasteurised milk or dairy products that may contain milk from TB reactor cattle is therefore very low.
Press release ~ Related Defra press release
 
NICE: NICE has launched a training package to support & reinforce the skills & competencies of midwives, health visitors & social workers when ‘raising sensitive issues with pregnant women who face difficult social circumstances’. In addition to commissioning this training resource, NICE has produced a range of other support tools to help implement this guidance, including a costing statement and data collection tools.
 
Women facing complex social problems, such as those who experience domestic abuse or those who misuse alcohol or drugs, can be deterred from attending antenatal appointments, including booking appointments, because of the perceived negative attitude of healthcare staff. 
Press release
 
DH: Local organisations are now able to access new tools that will help improve the health & wellbeing of adults with autism.  The new tools have been launched on the eve of World Autism Day. ‘Fulfilling and rewarding lives: Evaluating Progress’ is a new Department of Health self assessment resource which will be available online.  

It is to be used locally and clearly sets out what local authorities need to achieve to implement the Adult Autism Strategy. It allows adults with autism, their families, carers & representative groups to see what progress is being made in their local area and how this compares across the country.  The DH has also funded a series of on-line training resources & booklets that will increase awareness & understanding of autism across all public services.
Press release ~ Fulfilling and rewarding lives: Evaluating Progress (scroll down for links to online resources) ~ Adult Autism Strategy
 
WAG: The Health Minister, Edwina Hart, has published a set of National Standards for Children with Cancer, which provide a foundation for NHS Wales to plan & deliver effective high quality services for children with cancer from birth up to & including the age of 15.

The Standards identify which healthcare professionals should be involved in treatment & care at different time points and the types of hospital or cancer centre that are best suited to provide that healthcare reflecting the requirements of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) service guidance. The Standards are expected to be fully implemented by March 2013.
Press release ~ Ministerial Letter EH/ML/009/11 National Standards for Children with Cancer aged 0 to 15 years ~ National Standards for Children with Cancer aged 0 to 15 years
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