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Other news
Professor Louis Appleby: first Health
and Criminal Justice Tsar
Professor Louis Appleby will be the first
National Clinical Director for Health and Criminal Justice. The
move reflects an increased focus on improving the mental health of
offenders and develops responsibilities from Professor Appleby’s
current work as National Clinical Director for Mental Health
Services. He will champion the Government’s action plan ‘Improving
Health, Supporting Justice’. His deputy, Dr Hugh Griffiths, will
take on responsibility for wider mental health issues as an interim
appointment to ensure that momentum is not lost in the
implementation of New Horizons.
New developments in
Personality Disorder (PD)
Knowledge and
Understanding Framework is an extensive training programme
commissioned by the Department of Health and Ministry of Justice.
The programme intends to bring substantial attitude change towards
PD across all sectors, starting in NHS mental health and the
criminal justice system. If you are interested in:
- doing awareness training yourself
- arranging awareness training within
your organisation
- training to be a trainer (as an
‘expert by qualification’, or know somebody who would be interested
in doing it as an ‘expert by experience’)
Contact your regional PD lead -
there is one per region. It may be suitable for psychiatrists
to train as trainers, as the three-day programme is much
enriched by having a substantial depth of clinical experience in
the trainers. But be aware that most of it is
discursive and experiential – and not a primary delivery of
information. Dr Rex Haigh FRCPsych, Clinical Advisor, National PD
Programme, Department of Health.
Mental health Payment by
Results (PbR)
This letter, published on the DH website on 1
April, gives
an update on the progress in introducing mental health PbR. To
enable the NHS to plan, it also provides clarification on the
timescales for implementation.
Mental health system
reforms
From April 2010, a number of significant
system reforms will apply to mental health for the first time,
while progress towards others is well underway.
This
paper highlights key milestones and reinforces
steps that PCTs can take to use the reforms to deliver QIPP and New
Horizons.
Other announcements from the Department of Health
and the NHS
- Public consultation on New
Horizons
published
- Social care White Paper: National Care
Service launched
- NHS Leadership Awards 2010: call for
entries
- First-ever framework for mental
well-being
- Children and young people's continuing
care – national framework
- Majority of NHS trusts declare
same-sex accommodation
- Reporting and learning from serious
incidents
- Adult autism strategy – first-year
delivery plan
- Importance of clinical leadership –
Interim Report
- Attitude to Mental Illness 2010
survey
- Health profile of England 2009
Rethink interviewing
psychiatrists: call to psychiatrists
A research study has been commissioned by
Rethink, to gather feedback on our activities. A £40 Marks and
Spencer voucher will be given to each interviewee as a token of
appreciation for your time. Interviews can be carried out at your
workplace, or over the phone. If you are willing in principle to be
interviewed, please email giving your name,
telephone number and email address.
New Guide to
personalisation: National Mental Health Development Unit
Paths to personalisation - a guide to personalisation has been
produced to help all those involved understand how things will need
to be done differently to make personalisation a reality for people
with mental health needs.
Report finds mental health
and criminal justice should come together with caution
A new report by the Sainsbury Centre for
Mental Health, Blurring
the Boundaries, focuses on the positive and negative impacts of
bringing Justice and Mental Health services closer together.
King’s Fund review of the
NHS
Using official data, government reports and
academic research,
A high-performing NHS? is the first comprehensive
evaluation of the NHS in England from 1997 to 2010. Important
achievements are highlighted: for mental health, it was found that
access to specialist intervention and crisis resolution teams for
acute illness has improved and is judged to be one of the best
systems in Europe. This has led to reductions in acute admissions,
but long-term reductions in symptoms and improvements in the
quality of life of clinical service users have been more difficult
to achieve. Future demands on health and social care services are
likely to rise, particularly because of increases in cases of
dementia. With regard to patient experience, the results in
relation to patient experience are worse for users of inpatient
mental health services.
CQC: Survey of NHS staff 2009
CQC has published the
7th annual survey of NHS staff. It provides trusts with
information about the views and experiences of employees that can
help to improve the working lives of staff and the quality of care
for patients. Almost 290,000 NHS staff were asked for their views
on working in the NHS in October 2009. 11% of NHS staff reported
experiencing physical violence from patients. The figures were
higher among front-line staff, in mental health and ambulance
trusts.
National Advisory Council's
report on Children's Mental Health
In March, the National Advisory Council, led
by Dame Jo Williams and Dr Lesley Hewson, published
its first report. The report outlines their work plan and
how it will continue to work with young people, Government and the
field to stimulate more open debate and to find solutions in the
current economic climate.
A
joint letter from Children's Secretary Ed Balls and Health
Secretary Andy Burnham thanked the National Advisory Council for
their work in championing the children’s emotional wellbeing and
mental health agenda and advising Government on how best to respond
to the recommendations of the independent review of CAMHS.
Charities join forces to
improve young people’s mental health
The
Children and Young People's Mental Health Coalition has
launched its plans to improve the mental health of young people up
to the age of 25 living in the UK. It aims to influence policy and
practice on a range of issues and in the first year would focus on
four key areas: The Early Years, Building Emotional Resilience,
Reaching Adulthood and Seldom Heard Voices.
More support for teenagers
with mental health problems
Young Minds is urging hospitals to implement new requirements
to ensure young patients with mental health problems receive
appropriate care. It calls on hospitals to make sure
they have the appropriate physical facilities, so they are able to
adhere to the amendment to the Mental Health Act 1983.
Hospital trauma teams urged
to help combat alcohol related injuries and deaths
The Royal College of Surgeons of England has
challenged nurses, doctors and surgeons working in NHS trauma
services to help curb the epidemic of alcohol misuse by providing
advice to patients during their course of treatment. Clinical
trials show that 24% of hazardous drinkers who receive a 'brief
intervention' at follow-up appointments following a hospital
admission for trauma, reduce their drinking to safer levels a year
later compared to those who don't have the intervention. The
new standard
affirms affirms that this should be a routine and expected
part of surgical care.
World Psychiatric
Association (WPA): Early intervention in psychosis
The WPA has now approved Guidelines for
Psychiatrists with respect to Early
Intervention in Psychosis. These are to support psychiatric
organisations and individual psychiatrists throughout the
world.
Applications sought for
International Health Links Funding Scheme
THET, an international health charity,
and the British Council are pleased to announce a call for
applications for the second round of the pioneering
International Health Links Funding Scheme
(IHLFS). The IHLFS aims
to strengthen partnerships, or 'Links’, between UK health
institutions and their counterparts in developing countries. The
primary purpose of Links is to build the capacity of developing
countries' health systems.
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