Health Care and Wellbeing Scrutiny Champions e-newsletter for January 2010

Funding announced for nine scrutiny development areas

Nine projects have successfully bid to become to become Scrutiny Development Areas as part of the Reducing Health Inequalities programme. So many excellent bids were received that additional funding has been secured to support nine zones, rather than the four funded originally. As a result the review topics cover a very broad spectrum of both the cause and effect of health inequalities.

Healthy Accountability Forum.  The Forum is positioning itself as the national Voice of Health Scrutiny. The next topic under discussion will be ‘Key Challenges facing the NHS - where does this leave scrutiny?’

Health Scrutiny Programme News Update

Quality Accounts have written to all OSC chairs with advice on the involvement of HOSCs, LINks and PCTs, ahead of the Regulations for Quality Accounts (the details of the policy for Quality Accounts) being laid before Parliament and published in February.

Influencing Excellent Public Services. Submit an entry today for the Good Scrutiny Awards to be presented at our Annual Conference ‘Accountability Works: Sustaining outcomes in changing times’ 
 

Independent Reconfiguration Panel.  
All the recommendations in The report ‘Learning from the Reviews’ published in December 2009 have been implemented in one form or another
 

Health Select Committee: Alcohol report published 8th January
The Health Select Committee reflects many concerns already expressed in local scrutiny reviews, and has been widely aired in the press. 

 Michael Parkinson: My year as National Dignity Ambassador
Sir Michael Parkinson has written a personal account of his year as the nation's Dignity Ambassador.
 

 NHS Consultations 
Proposals to Dispense more Generic Medicine
The Department of Health has set out proposals that would allow the dispensing of generic medicines instead of branded medicines in primary care, resulting in long term savings for the NHS

NHS Car Parking: Consultation on Improving Access for Patients
The consultation outlines a range of alternative options and closes on 23 February 2010 

NHS Constitution
From 19th January, all NHS organisations will be legally obliged to take account of the rights and pledges set out in the NHS Constitution.
 

Events
Public Engagement - 10th Feb CfPS is hosting four regional events in partnership with local authorities.
Project management -10th March  Project management for successful scrutiny reviews
Annual Conference June 30th - July 1st 2010 Download the Conference brochure and programme now
 

PUBLICATIONS
Scrutinising the Transformation of Adult Social Care: Practice Guide "This guide discusses key elements in the adult social care transformation programme which wil help OSCs assess the extent to which their authority is planning, commissioning and delivering better social care"

NEW TO THE LIBRARY
Third Party Commentary to the Healthcare Commission
Medway Towns Council
How a review can complement the work of the HCC, now the CQC

IN THE FORUMS
DoH calls for more people to engage with LINks

Please send us your experiences of working with LINks