Single Assessment Process - Homegrown tools now acceptable
The Tools and Scales Guidance on the DOH website was updated on 26 September to include a worked example of the single assessment summary, plus introductory notes. The worked example explicitly demonstrates the minimum contents of the single assessment summary. The guidance points out that localities do not have to adopt an assessment tool, developed for national use, for overview assessment. A homegrown approach that uses a local tool or a checklist approach can be equally appropriate as long as professional judgment is supported and the SAP guidance is followed. www.doh.gov.uk/scg/sap/index.htm

EASY-Care and MDS to collaborate on research and development
The development teams for MDS (University of Kent and University of Manchester) and EASY-Care (University of Sheffield) have decided it would be in the interest of local services and older people to collaborate on R&D on single assessment. Each will continue to develop their assessment instruments; MDS for assessments in complex and long term care and EASY-Care for contact and overview assessment. Work will be undertaken to ensure electronic linkages between EASY-Care and MDS assessments are possible in local services.
EASY-Care: www.shef.ac.uk/sisa/easycare
Inter RAI UK: www.interrai-uk.org/interrai/index.htm

The Development Centre for Older People’s Services at Sheffield will undertake its role in organisational and professional development in support of local implementation for single assessment, including support for EASY-Care and MDS. A request has been made to the National Network for Geriatric Assessment (NNGA) to act as a focus for collaboration.

General Hospital Care
The Department of Health has published General Hospital Care – Recent and Ongoing Work in Key Areas www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/olderpeople.htm#discussion. The document signposts work that may be of interest to members, namely:

Emergency response (4.6)
Reforming Emergency Care published by the DOH Emergency Care Strategy Team 2001 www.doh.gov.uk/capacityplanning/reforming

Ongoing care on general medical and surgical wards (4.12)
Services for NHS patients with acute and chronic pain published by the Clinical Standards Advisory Group (CSAG) in March 2000 http://www.doh.gov.uk/publications

Wounds and Pressure Sores
NICE Guidance on Pressure Ulcers Risk Assessment and Prevention published in 2001. Guidelines on treatment are due in 2004 and the use of pressure relieving devices in August 2003. www.nice.org.uk

The prevention, Management and Treatment of Wounds commissioned by NICE, the timetable for completion is to be confirmed.

Continence
Good practice in continence services published by the DOH in April 2000 www.doh.gov.uk/continenceservices.htm

Audit of Urinary And Faecal Continence Care in Older People by NICE, the scope was posted on the NICE website July 2002

Palliative Care
Palliative Care beacons www.nhs.uk/beacons
Integrated care pathways for dying. Acute sector pathways are now being developed for use in the community. www.mariecurie.org.uk

Supportive and Palliative Care clinical guidelines commissioned by NICE part A is due for publication in December 2002

Essence of Care, patient focused benchmarking for health car professionals www.doh.gov.uk/essenceofcare

The hospital environment (4.19 et seq.)
Revision of the Building Notes for Health Care Facilities for OlderPeople due to be published September 2003.

Nightingale wards - 289 Nightingale ward refurbishment schemes approved to date

Mixed sex wards - Specialist Support Teams are working with Trusts

Nursing issues (4.26)
Caring For Older People: A Nursing Priority Standing Nursing and Midwifery Advisory Committee guidance published April 2001 www.doh.gov.uk/snmac/publications.htm

Improving the Experience of Acute Hospital Care for Older People with Dementia or Confusion: A pocket Guide for Hospital Staff www.helptheaged.org.uk

Nursing educational implication for the NSF Older People published by the Nursing Midwifery Council www.nmc-uk.org/cms/content/home/home.asp

Nurse Specialists RCN & BGS joint statement www.bgs.org.uk

Progress report on Modern Matrons www.doh.gov.uk/modernmatrons/index.htm

Discharge planning (4.28)
Change Agent Team visits (see below for details of the new work programme)
Revision of the Discharge workbook (1994) due for publication in Autumn 2002

Stroke Care
The Changing Workforce Programme (CWP) published New Ways of Working in Stroke Care in August 2002. The CWP is developing a radical approach to job redesign, this publication gives examples of new or extended roles for those involved with the care of stroke victims and their carers. www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/olderpeople.htm
#discussion

Care homes
The Residential Care and Nursing Home sector for Older People: an analysis of past trends, current and future demand www.doh.gov.uk/careanalysis/index.htm
The report concludes that Building Capacity Partnership in Care www.doh.gov.uk/buildingcapacity; the agreement between the statutory and independent social care, health care and housing sectors is encouraging a more strategic, inclusive and consistent approach to capacity planning at a local level.

Building Care Capacity Grant: Allocations for 2002/03 and conditions
www.doh.gov.uk/jointunit/delayeddischarge/determination.htm Published on 8 August 2002 this gives details of the grants to be paid to local authorities and the welfare services that the grants are to be used to support.

Delayed discharges programme
The Health and Social Care Change Agent Team have published information on their forthcoming work programme at www.doh.gov.uk/jointunit/workprogletteraug02.htm.

Two Learning and Service Improvement Networks are being formed for care pathways/integrated discharge planning and intermediate care. Each network will enable participating organisations to share information about what works (and what does not), and carry out development work. The organisations will be assisted to develop a local action/performance improvement plan. A list of those organisations invited to sign up in the first instance has also been published. A third network will be developed to stimulate local developments in housing-based models of care, including alternatives to hospital care. A series of seminars will be held in the autumn to share good practice from the Team’s work. Details of dates and venues will be publicised shortly.

Launch of the integrated care network
To promote service improvement through integration of local authority and NHS services, a new integrated care network will be launched on 24 October. The network is a joint initiative of the Department of Health and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, with non-government partners. It will create a central information resource, develop action learning sets, provide consultancy, spread good practice and arrange national information meetings. Contact Roy Harry, Tel: 020 7210 5005

Dr Finbarr Martin
Chairman : NSF Focus Group
Louise Wykes
BGS Office