Guidance Notes and Best Practice Guides

DH: New guidance to help NHS & local authority commissioners ensure that people with long term conditions are more involved in decisions about their illness & treatment has been issued by the Department of Health.
 
The document, Supporting People with Long Term Conditions: Commissioning Personalised Care Planning, is intended to help the Government achieve its goal that, by 2010, every one of the 15m people with a long term condition will be offered a personalised care plan.
 
The guidance document advises that, following a care planning discussion between NHS or social care staff and a patient with a long term condition, a care plan is written to bring together all patient information.  The care plan would be accessible to both the patient and NHS, or social care staff and would record that the discussion include any goal setting & shared decision making.
Press release ~ Supporting People With Long Term Conditions: Commissioning Personalised Care Planning (scroll down) ~ NHS Next Stage Review ~ Your Health, Your Care, Your Say ~ Diabetes UK
 
DH: Health Minister Lord Darzi and NHS Chief Executive David Nicholson have unveiled plans for a new National Leadership Council (NLC) that will ‘help nurture the next generation of NHS leaders’.  The NLC will be responsible for building a strong culture of leadership across the health service.
 
The Department of Health has also published new guidance for talent & leadership planning that will help Strategic Health Authorities design their own leadership development plans.  It sets out how best to assess current leadership capacity & demand, as well as setting out collaborative methods to meet gaps between demand & supply.
 
By July 2009, SHAs will be expected to have assessed the state of talent & leadership across their area and set out measures for fostering talent at a regional level. The website for the NHS Leadership Awards Scheme goes live on 1 March 2009, when the nominations open.  However, from 2 February the website will be online with information about the nominations process.
Press release ~ National Leadership Council ~ 'Inspiring Leaders: leadership for quality' talent and leadership guidance ~ DH – Leadership and Management
 
PCSPCS and other unions have been invited to comment on the revised draft code of practice on time off for trade union duties & activities published by ACAS in December 2008 – See ‘Consultations’ above for more information.
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