healthcare update - issue five
News round up
Here is a selection of just some of the health related bulletins
we have written over the past few months. For more bulletins of
interest, for example, 'The Independent Safeguarding Authority –
your new legal duties' and 'Accrual and carry over of holiday pay
during sickness absence - are we any clearer following House of
Lords ruling?' please visit our resources page.
A trio of changes to re-shape the NHS - how will it affect your
Trust?
Over recent months guidance has been issued by the Department of
Health in connection with a number of changes designed to underpin
the values of the NHS and provide clarity as to what can be
expected, not only by those who use it, but by those who work
within it too. This bulletin discusses the impact of the Health
Bill 2009, including the NHS Constitution, direct payments and
quality accounts.
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bulletin...
Complex care - how to get the best out of your budget
Our commercial health team has been instructed to act for a
number of Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in connection with issues
surrounding packages of complex nursing care and continuing
healthcare under the National Framework for NHS Continuing
Healthcare and NHS-funded Nursing Care. As a result of this work,
we are aware of a number of common issues which are becoming
increasingly significant for Trusts and this bulletin gives advice
on how Trusts can try to keep costs of complex care packages
down.
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bulletin...
Exceptional funding
Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) not only have a fixed budget to
provide healthcare to their respective populations, but also a
statutory duty to break even! Accordingly, they will not be able to
afford every medical treatment available, and must make difficult
decisions about what will be funded and what won’t. This bulletin
looks at making the right decision on exceptional funding requests
from patients, to ensure consistent and transparent decision
making.
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bulletin...
Special measures - what does this mean for Foundation
Trusts?
The Health Bill, currently in draft form before Parliament, has
been considered by the House of Lords, and has now been returned to
the Commons with final amendments (12 May 2009). Part of the Bill,
once enacted, will be to insert new provisions into the NHS Act
2006 to enable Foundation Trusts to be put into ‘special measures’.
This bulletin looks at the significance of special measures and how
they will be applied in practice.
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bulletin...
Spotlight on - Freedom of Information
Despite having been in force since 1 January 2005, and as such,
not unfamiliar to many of us, the ways in which the Freedom of
Information Act (FOIA) is used, and the types of information being
sought from public bodies is continuously changing. This bulletin
gives an update on Freedom of Information, anticipating a rise in
the number of requests for information of increasing numbers
and complexity.
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bulletin...
Top-up payments for private drugs
During 2008, the previous Department of Health policy,
suggesting that patients lose their entitlement to NHS treatment
should they pay privately for something in the same episode of
care, for instance the latest cancer drug which the NHS would not
fund automatically, caused a media furore. This bulletin gives
advice on requests for 'top up' payments by patients on expensive
medication.
Read the full
bulletin...
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The content of this update is provided for the purposes of general
interest and information. It contains only brief summaries of
aspects of the subject matter and does not provide comprehensive
statements of the law. It does not constitute legal advice and does
not provide a substitute for it.