Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides

SGC: Judges and magistrates are given a clear message that driving offences that result in death are serious offences and should receive appropriate sentences in a definitive guideline published last week. Lengthy custodial sentences are recommended by the Sentencing Guidelines Council for cases involving prolonged, persistent & deliberate bad driving or where drivers are intoxicated or under the influence of drugs.
 
The definitive guideline covers four offences - causing death by:
* dangerous driving
* careless driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs
* careless driving
* driving : unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured
Press release ~ Guideline on Causing Death by Driving ~ Sentencing Guidelines Council
 
DH: As one of the key elements of Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review, Modernising Allied Health Professions Careers: A Competence-Based Framework, sets out new web-based tools for AHPs that will help them plan a more flexible career path.  There are 76,928 allied health professionals working in the NHS across 14 disciplines that are often the first-contact practitioner across the community and hospitals settings.
 
Managers and teams can use the framework to describe the full range of competences required to meet patient needs.  By identifying roles by competences rather than professional groups, service planners & managers can consider new styles of provision and role developments for AHPs.  
Press release ~ Modernising Allied Health Professions Careers: A Competence-Based Framework ~ Web-based tools ~ NHS - AHPs ~ AHP Bulletins ~ DH - AHPs
 
Wales Office: New guidelines aimed at assisting the procedures for the transfer of powers to the National Assembly for Wales have been welcomed by Secretary of State for Wales Paul Murphy. The Ministry of Justice has published new guidance for UK Government officials who deal with Orders in Council to help make the process more effective.
 
The new guidance, Devolution Guidance Note 16 (DGN16), outlines seven guiding principles which should be considered when requests for legislation come from the National Assembly for Wales.  It also sets out the procedure for dealing with Orders in Council, emphasising the need for a rigorous project management approach.
Press release ~ Devolution Guidance Note 16 (DGN16) (scroll down) ~ MoJ – other guidance notes
Spotlight on women at Serco – Anita’s story