Policy Statements and Initiatives
DH: Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Health Secretary Alan Johnson have announced a yet another review of the NHS that will ‘advise on how to meet the challenges of delivering health care over the next decade’.
The review will be led by Professor Ara Darzi, the new Health Minister who will report to the Prime Minister, the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Health before the 60th anniversary of the NHS in July 2008. There will be an interim assessment in autumn 2007 to inform the Comprehensive Spending Review.
At the end of the Review the Government will consider the case for a new NHS Constitution.
DH: Secretary of State for Health Alan Johnson has announced £50m extra funding to tackle healthcare associated infections (HCAIs) such as MRSA and C.difficile. Bug-busting infection Improvement Teams will double in size so that any Trust that is not on course to meet the 2008 MRSA target or has a significant number of patients with C.difficile, will have access to a team of experts to help them reduce infection.
Strategic Health Authority Directors of Nursing will each receive £5m. Working with PCTs, they will make sure that front-line clinicians make the changes which help them in the fight against HCAIs.
Press release ~ Saving Lives - Clean Safe Care ~ The Health Act (2006): Hygiene Code of Practice ~ Reducing health care associated infections (HCAIs): Regulatory Impact Assessment ~ Health Protection Agency figures ~ DH – Clean Hospitals ~ Healthcare associated infection ~ RCN: Good practice in infection prevention and control Guidance for nursing staff ~ Investigation into outbreaks of Clostridium difficile at Stoke Mandeville Hospital, Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust ~ Cleanyourhands
Scottish Executive: A joint consultation analysis report has been published by the Registrars General for England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland, which provides analysis of responses to questions on proposals for a data release scheme aimed at stopping fraudsters from using the identities of dead people.
CIFAS estimates that there were 70,000 instances of IOD fraud in 2004 and that the current rate of growth will see this reach 100,000 by 2007.
Timely disclosure of death registration information will help the police, other law enforcement bodies and public and private sector organisations to deal with offences and identify cases of attempted fraud by criminals using the personal details of the deceased.
This will not only help to combat Impersonation of the Deceased fraud, but will also reduce the impact on relatives of the deceased who have to deal with the consequences of the identity of their loved ones being stolen.
Press release ~ Joint consultation report and related docs ~ CIFAS Online ~ Registrar General for England & Wales ~ Scotland RG ~ Northern Ireland RG ~ Impersonation of the Deceased (IOD) ~ RIA Police and Justice Bill ~ Home Office - Identity Theft ~ Identity Fraud Home ~ Identity theft : Directgov - Rights and responsibilities ~ Cost of Identity fraud ~ FSA – Checking your identity ~ APACS - Identity Fraud ~ Australian National Crime Prevention Program (NCP) information kit (scroll down) ~ ESRC Society Today - Identity Theft and the Internet
