Procurement call for evidence

A call for evidence on how procurement in the NHS can be transformed is issued. Views and contributions are being sought from the NHS, industry, other government departments, the academic, scientific and third sectors and social care. This could include actions for the Department of Health, wider government, industry, the NHS Commissioning Board, other National bodies, the NHS, or other sectors.

Sir Ian Curruthers letter said:

' Whilst some improvements in NHS procurement are evident, the pace of change is not sufficient to meet the financial challenge facing the NHS.

We need more innovative procurement processes and more widespread procurement of innovation. By harnessing relationships with suppliers, the NHS can adopt existing innovations and stimulate new innovation to deliver quality and value, for both NHS patients and taxpayers.'

Read the call for evidence and ideas document and the letter from Sir Ian Curruthers. To contribute to the call for evidence please see our online form.

Guidance published today provides the first steps that NHS trusts need to takenow. Read further information on Innovation Health and Wealth.

The National Audit Office has issued a report examining whether the NHS in England is providing recommended standards of care to people with diabetes

The report finds that, despite some improvements since 2006-07, there is poor performance against expected levels of care, low achievement of treatment standards and high numbers of avoidable deaths, and concludes that diabetes services in England are not delivering value for money.

http://www.nao.org.uk/publications/1213/adult_diabetes_services.aspx

Have your say on long term conditions strategy

The Department of Health is asking people to comment on what should be covered by the cross-government long term conditions strategy.

We are drafting the strategy at the moment and plan to publish it towards the end of this year. The strategy will be a high level vision, describing how we want to see improvements in the lives of people with long term conditions. It will apply to England only.

We would like to hear from people with long term conditions, carers, health professionals, commissioners, local authorities and the voluntary sector. People's experiences, both positive and negative, and their ideas about what could be done differently, are vital to make the strategy as relevant as possible.

The content of the strategy will not be confined to health issues. It will also cover other aspects of people's lives that can be affected by long term conditions and bring together departments across central government to sign up to shared aims.

Find out more about the long term conditions strategy.

NHS Corporate plan 2012-13

The Department of Health's Corporate plan sets out our priorities for the year ahead. The Department's enduring purpose is to achieve better health, better care, better value: working to help people live better for longer.

Now that the Health and Social Care Bill has become law, the Department has a firm platform on which to build clarity about the future direction of the health and social care system as a whole.

The plan groups the Department's activity into six priority areas:

• Better health; Better care; Better value relate directly to DH's enduring purpose and capture the key business priorities for the Department for this year to April 2013
• Successful change, delivering the transition to the new system – picks up the work the DH does and its accountability for making this happen
• Working with our partners – builds on what the DH does now and recognises that in the new system the Department will be working differently
• Transforming the DH itself – is about the DH's journey to develop its capability.

The plan is also built around how the Department will support the Secretary of State to deliver his five strategic objectives:

• a patient-led NHS
• delivering better health outcomes
• a more autonomous and accountable NHS
• improved public health
• reforming long-term and social care.

Take a look at the corporate plan 

Information strategy to give people more control over their care

The Department has published its information strategy – The power of information – which sets a ten-year framework for transforming information for the NHS, public health and social care.

The focus of the strategy is on improving access to information, including a commitment that people will be able to access their GP records online by 2015.

Other ambitions are for test results to be available electronically and that people will be able to book or re-arrange their medical appointments online.

This one-page visual guide helps demonstrate the key benefits to people of having better access to their health and care records and to services online.

Within the strategy the Department has identified dozens of case studies from across the country where GPs, hospital trusts or suppliers are ahead of the game in delivering services in this new way. Examples include:

• a GP surgery that encourages patients to access their records online
• a new information service for parents from NHS Choices
• care homes in Bristol using barcodes to avoid medication errors

The strategy also commits to creating a new website, or portal, that will act as a single trusted source of information across the NHS, public health and social care.

To find out more go to the information strategy website where you'll find a summary of what the strategy will mean for you, and the full publication as a download.

 

Diabet Med. 2012 Apr 30. doi: 10.1111/j.1464-5491.2012.03700.x. [Epub ahead of print]

Pressure-reduction and preservation in custom-made footwear of patients with diabetes and a history of plantar ulceration.

Waaijman R, Arts ML, Haspels R, Busch-Westbroek TE, Nollet F, Bus SA.

Source

Department of Rehabilitation, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam Department of Surgery, Ziekenhuisgroep Twente, Almelo, the Netherlands.

Abstract

Aims  To assess the value of using in-shoe plantar pressure analysis to improve and preserve the offloading properties of custom-made footwear in patients with diabetes. Methods  Dynamic in-shoe plantar pressures were measured in new custom-made footwear of 117 patients with diabetes, neuropathy and a healed plantar foot ulcer. In 85 of these patients, high peak pressure locations (peak pressure > 200 kPa) were targeted for pressure reduction (goal: > 25% relief or below an absolute level of 200 kPa) by modifying the footwear. After each of a maximum three rounds of modifications pressures were measured. In a subgroup of 32 patients, pressures were measured and, if needed, footwear was modified at 3-monthly visits for 1 year. Pressures were compared with those measured in 32 control patients who had no footwear modifications based on pressure analysis. Results  At the previous ulcer location and the highest and second highest pressure locations, peak pressures were significantly reduced by 23%, 21% and 15%, respectively, after modification of footwear. These lowered pressures were maintained or further reduced over time and were significantly lower, by 24-28%, compared with pressures in the control group. Conclusion  The offloading capacity of custom-made footwear for high-risk patients can be effectively improved and preserved using in-shoe plantar pressure analysis as guidance tool for footwear modification. This provides a useful approach to obtain better offloading footwear that may reduce the risk for pressure-related diabetic foot ulcers. 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22540919?dopt=Abstract

Reebok to craft custom-built shoes for nation’s tallest man - BostonHerald.com

Reebok to craft custom-built shoes for nation’s tallest man - BostonHerald.com

Some expensive Bespoke Footwear!