Edition 15, 29 July 2005 Useful links Welcome to the ASA News Diary online. Department of Health In this issue: Reconfiguration of Ambulance Services in England Healthcare Commission Star ratings published ASA debrief event on 7/7 announced Announcement on the reconfiguration of Ambulance Services in England The Department of Health issued the document, Commissioning a Patient-led NHS yesterday. Its focus is on creating changes in the way services are commissioned by front-line staff to reflect patient choices. Healthcare Commission publishes star ratings for To ensure improvements in commissioning, progress the work ambulance services with Local Authorities on the White Paper, Choosing Health, and ensure savings in overhead costs, NHS organisations will be The Healthcare Commission required to change and develop. The expected result is to see published the annual star improvements in health and in services. ratings of performance for NHS Trusts in England on The programme will involve the reconfiguration of PCTs and Wednesday. The results for SHAs which will be done alongside the reform to the ambulance ambulance services show services detailed in the Department of Health’s Taking that 13 services have Healthcare to the Patient. achieved the highest rating of three stars, an increase of The timetable for the reconfiguration including for the three Trusts on the previous ambulance services is detailed on page 10 of the document year. Six ambulance from the DH website. Additionally, Paragraphs 36/37 of the services have been awarded document refers to Taking Healthcare to the Patient and the two stars, however 12 out of reduction of at least 50% of Ambulance Trusts which will also the 31 services have have the opportunity to move towards Foundation status. received a zero or one star Paragraph 38 states that Peter Bradley is available to give rating. advice and assistance for Ambulance Trusts. The ratings cover the financial year 2004/05 and This week in for ambulance services Parliament for include an assessment of ambulance services their performance in meeting response times targets. For further information on Lindsay Hoyle, Labour the performance of each MP for Chorley requested information from the Department of sector of the NHS, read on… Health on Lancashire ambulance service including the number of ambulances operated by the Trust, the number of its employees and the assessment of the service provided by the Trust. ASA meets Healthcare Commission Chief The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health, Executive Liam Byrne MP, informed the House that the information on the number of ambulances operated by the Trust is not held A timely meeting, with the centrally however it is expected that as a result of the publication of the star Department’s strategic review of ambulance services, the ratings for NHS number of ambulances in the region would increase over the organisations on next few years. The number of employees at Lancashire Wednesday, took place on ambulance service NHS Trust currently totals 2,772 and the Thursday with Healthcare Healthcare Commission is responsible for the assessment of all Commission Chief Executive NHS Trusts. In 2004-05, Lancashire ambulance service NHS Anna Walker. ASA Board Trust received three stars, the highest rating. Member Paul Phillips and Chief Executive Richard In a separate parliamentary question, Mr Hoyle also raised the Diment spent an hour at the issue of transferring unaccompanied patients between accident and emergency units by taxi in the absence of available Commission's headquarters ambulances and what assessment had been made of any with Mrs Walker discussing a possible risks. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State range of issues including: informed the House that it is for the local national health service to ensure appropriate transport, and that guidance on 2005 Star Ratings patient transport services is provided in the form of documents DH Ambulance Review including those from the NHS Modernisation Agency and the Feedback on the new Department of Health. assessment criteria/draft and final declaration process John Baron, Conservative MP for Billericay asked the Home Role of HCC Ambulance Department about the safety of emergency workers and if an Adviser assessment would be made on the benefits of introducing Future interface with ASA legislation similar to the Emergency Workers (Scotland) Act 2005 in England and Wales. The Minister said that the At the meeting the Sentencing Advisory Panel is due to issue a consultation in the Commission confirmed that summer on the sentencing of violent crime and this is expected the secondment of David to refer to victims who serve the public. The Government will Griffiths as its ambulance be keeping all legislation under review and that victims are adviser had been extended being encouraged to report incidents more consistently. Video until the end of the year. cameras are also being installed in ambulances and fire The HCC will be putting appliances to increase detention rates. forward proposals shortly for future discussion and consultation with the ASA and NHS ambulance services. Ambulance statistics covering the weeks ending 17th July and 24th July 2005: Events News: ASA De- Category A calls for the week ending 17th July 2005: 28,607 brief on 7/7 Category A calls answered within 8 minutes for the week: The ASA, in partnership with 74.85% London Ambulance Service, will be holding a de-brief Category A calls for the week ending 24th July 2005: session on the experiences 27,406 and lessons learnt from 7 July on the afternoon of 11 Category A calls answered within 8 minutes for the week: August. 76.40% The free event is aimed at The number of Category B calls for the week ending 17th Chief Executives, Operations July totalled 21,403 decreasing slightly to 20,917 for the Directors and Emergency following week. Planning Leads. The year to date statistics illustrate that ambulance services Confirmation of the venue are meeting the national target of responding to 75% of and timing, together with a Category A calls within 8 minutes, averaging 75.6%. booking form, will be circulated next week. New ASA representatives on JRCALC New dates for CBRN training courses Following a recent ballot among members of the ASA, three new representatives have been appointed by ASA as members Further Bronze CBRN of JRCALC. They are: training dates have been confirmed for 2005 and into Jeremy Mayhew, Medical Director, Kent Ambulance Service 2006: John Nichols, Chief Executive, Oxfordshire Ambulance Service Phil Pimlott, Director of Emergency Services, Royal Berkshire 22 & 23 September 2005, Ambulance Service. 17 & 18th November 2005, 19 & 20 January In addition Brian McManus, the Medical Director of Northern 2006 and 23 & 24 February Ireland Ambulance Service, has become a member of JRCALC. 2006. There are 30 places available at each course. Contact Cheryl Williams at HPC confirm arrangements for CPD the ASA office to register staff who have not attended The Health Professions' Council has confirmed that evidence of these courses to date. CPD will be a condition of re-registration for all allied health professionals from 2008. Under the two-yearly registration system used by the HPC, Paramedics will be subject to this from 2009. Department of Health Announcement Registrants will be expected to self-declare that they have met the CPD requirements over the previous two year. Five Health Secretary Patricia percent of the registrants from each profession will be selected Hewitt announced yesterday to submit a portfolio demonstrating they have achieved this. the next steps for public consultation which will shape More details are on the HPC website. the White Paper on Improving community health and care services. Read more... Service News Department of Health Consultation Documents Dr Christina Campbell has been appointed Director of Clinical Effectiveness/Medical Advisor at Hereford and Worcester Comments are invited on Ambulance Service NHS Trust. the following consultation papers: Dr Campbell originally studied medicine at the University of Dundee before pursuing a career in anaesthesia in the UK, Action on Health Care Montreal, Canada and more recently Indianapolis, USA. In Associated Infections in addition to her in clinical medicine Dr Campbell has been a England. This is on senior member of a large academic department in a busy proposed legislation to teaching hospital. support the prevention and control of health care Her role will involve ensuring that patient care is at the heart of associated infections in NHS everything the Trust does. She will be responsible for organisations in England. maintaining high standards of clinical practice, and specific Summary available. issues such as infection control. NHS Emergency Planning Guidance 2005. This Civil Contingencies Act – final regulations and guidance concerns NHS organisations published and their ability to respond to a major incident or The Government has published the Civil Contingencies Act incidents. Summary Regulations and Guidance. The documents and letter to available. stakeholders can be found online. Forthcoming ASA Diary Dates 11 August ASA debrief on 7/7, London 6 September Clinical Effectiveness Committee, London 9 September BME Committee 4 October Health, Safety & Risk Committee, EMAS 11 October Civil Emergencies Committee, London 2 December BME Committee 13 December Clinical Effectiveness Committee, London 10 January 2006 Health, Safety & Risk Committee, EMAS.