This page shows recent publications from the Department of Health’s publications feed.
- physician associate (PA)
- physicians’ assistant (anaesthesia) (PA(A))
- surgical care practitioner (SCP)
- advanced critical care practitioner (ACCP)
- To introduce statutory regulation for PAs
- To seek further evidence on the most proportionate level of regulation for PA(A)s
- To seek views on the position that statutory regulation of the SCP and ACCP roles is not proportionate, and whether alternative options for professional assurance should be considered
- look at how the legislation is currently used
- look at its impact on service users, families and staff
- make recommendations for improving the legislation and related practices
- supporting the roll-out of digital palliative and end of life care records to all areas by 2020
- inspecting and rating NHS hospital and community services for end of life care
- providing support to trusts to help them improve end of life care services
- testing personal health budgets for people approaching the end of life to give them choice and control over their care
- developing metrics to assess quality and experience in end of life care
- working to change the nursing and medical undergraduate and postgraduate curricula to improve patient choice and quality of care
- the introduction of a payment system similar to that in the 2014 PPRS
- changes to the provisions on maximum prices, including removing the requirement for a 15% price cut
- changes to the information requirements placed on companies
- manufacturers, importers and wholesalers to provide quarterly information about sales and purchases of generic medicines and special medicinal products
- those involved in the supply chain to record, keep and provide on request information related to sales and purchases of health service medicine, medical supplies and other related products
- marketing authorisation holders, manufacturers and importers to tell government about any discontinuation and supply shortages of medicines
Open consultation: Regulation of nursing associates in England
16 October 2017, 3:46 pm
The Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001 sets out the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) powers and duties. Amendments need to be made to the order to provide the NMC with the necessary legal powers to regulate the nursing associate profession.
It is intended that aspects and regulatory functions of the legislation will apply to the nursing associate profession in the same way as for nurses and midwives. In amending the legislation, the regulatory framework for nursing associates will be similar to that of nurses and midwives, except where it is necessary to accommodate specific differences in the nursing associate profession.
Guidance: Ordinary residence: anonymised determinations 2017
13 October 2017, 1:02 pm
Ordinary residence determinations show how the department arrives at decisions to resolve disputes in the health and social care sector.
These determinations are ‘anonymised’ because they do not name the individuals or councils involved.
Open consultation: The regulation of medical associate professions in the UK
12 October 2017, 11:00 am
Rising demands for medical treatment and advances in clinical care requires a co-ordinated approach and greater skill mix within NHS healthcare teams.
In recent years the health service has seen the emergence and increased use of new professional roles within multi-disciplinary teams as part of a continuing drive to provide safe, accessible and high-quality care for patients.
Four of these roles are:
As these professionals become more widely employed, it is necessary to explore the options for professional regulation.
This consultation seeks your views on the following proposals:
A consultation document and a risk assessment profile from Health Education England (HEE) are published alongside this consultation.
Policy paper: Indemnity in general practice
12 October 2017, 10:45 am
The department is seeking to put in place a more stable and more affordable system of indemnity for general practice in England.
This information marks the start of detailed work with GP representatives and others. It outlines current assumptions on key areas. As policy thinking develops, these positions may change.
Research and analysis: Race Disparity Audit
10 October 2017, 11:33 am
This report provides an overview of the main findings from the first release of data from the Race Disparity Audit.
As well as a review of each topic on the Ethnicity Facts and Figures website, the report presents an overview of disparities that have most impact across all aspects of people’s lives.
This analysis helps to understand and assess differences between ethnic groups, and to identify those public services where disparities are diminishing and those where work is needed to develop effective strategies to reduce disparities between ethnic groups.
Policy paper: Mental Health Act: independent review
4 October 2017, 3:48 pm
The independent review of the Mental Health Act will:
The review will be chaired by Professor Sir Simon Wessely, a former President of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
He will produce an interim report in early 2018 and develop a final report containing detailed recommendations, by autumn 2018.
Guidance: Choice in end of life care: government progress
21 September 2017, 9:00 am
This report sets out the progress the National End of Life Care Programme Board has made in implementing the government’s choice commitment.
The measures include:
Guidance: Using emergency adrenaline auto-injectors in schools
20 September 2017, 9:00 am
From 1 October 2017, schools in England will be allowed to purchase adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) devices without a prescription, for emergency use on children who are at risk of anaphylaxis but whose own device is not available or not working.
This guidance will help schools that choose to keep an emergency AAI create a policy for using it.
Policy paper: Health Service Safety Investigations Bill
14 September 2017, 10:51 am
Updated: Added document: memorandum to the delegated powers and regulatory reform committee.
The draft bill proposes setting up the Health Service Safety Investigations Body (HSSIB).
The HSSIB will conduct investigations which focus on learning from patient safety incidents in the NHS, to reduce health care harm and improve patient care.
The draft bill allows the HSSIB to conduct investigations using ‘safe space’. ‘Safe space’ is a set of legal powers that prevent the HSSIB from disclosing the information it gathers in the course of an investigation.
Open consultation: New: expanding performance assessments of providers regulated by CQC
12 September 2017, 12:47 pm
The Department of Health proposes to amend the Care Quality Commission (Reviews and Performance Assessments) Regulations 2014 so that CQC has a duty to rate all providers of regulated activities, except for some specific registered service providers and regulated activities.
This consultation is targeted at providers of health and social care services registered with CQC. It seeks your views as to whether it is appropriate for CQC to extend performance assessment and ratings to include independent community health services and independent doctors.
Open consultation: Accountable care models contract: proposed changes to regulations
11 September 2017, 12:32 pm
Updated: Annex 11 and 12 added.
The development of the Accountable Care Organisations contract has identified some necessary changes to regulation. This is largely to ensure that current rules continue to apply to the new contract, and the organisations using it. It also increases flexibility in some cases, for example for GPs who wish to enter into ACO arrangements without terminating their existing contracts.
NHS England will continue to develop this contract further over the next year, with a view to consulting on a final version in 2018.
Transparency data: NHS trusts accounts: 2016 to 2017
30 August 2017, 2:41 pm
This data has been collected by the Department of Health for consolidation into the departmental group annual report and accounts.
While the data is consistent with the NHS trusts’ own annual reports and accounts, it is subject to a number of consolidation adjustments before being included in the departmental accounts.
Amendments on consolidation are mainly due to elimination of income and expenditure between NHS trusts. This means that the sum of figures on the trusts’ files may not match that in the departmental accounts.
Central consolidation adjustments by the department may also lead to differences from the data submitted by NHS trusts the previous year.
The data does not consolidate NHS charitable funds where the NHS trust is the corporate trustee of the funds, although this data is included as a note on TRU23. Under the ONS consolidation classification, this data is included in the main departmental consolidation.
NHS trusts publish their annual report and accounts on their own website. The data file contains links to these websites.
Form: Health and Wellbeing Fund 2017 to 2018: application form
29 August 2017, 9:00 am
Updated: Added updated application form and guidance.
The fund is part of the health and wellbeing programme. Each round focuses on a specific theme. The theme for this round is social prescribing.
We are inviting applications to set up a new social prescribing scheme or to support the expansion of an existing scheme.
Through this programme, the Department of Health, NHS England and Public Health England are working with voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations to promote equality, address health inequalities and support the wellbeing of people, families and communities.
The deadline for completed applications is noon on 21 November 2017.
Guidance: NHS funds held on trust
25 August 2017, 2:02 pm
This guidance gives an introduction to the general principles determining the financial responsibilities of trustees of NHS charities. It outlines how funds held on trust are handled and managed, including the processes for transferring funds to other bodies.
See also How NHS Charities can convert to independent status.
Open consultation: Statutory scheme to control cost of branded medicines
23 August 2017, 3:56 pm
The government is consulting on proposals to amend the statutory scheme that controls the prices of branded health service medicines. This builds on a previous consultation run in 2015.
The aim is to achieve alignment with the current voluntary pharmaceutical price regulation scheme (PPRS), agreed in 2014.
The main proposals in the consultation are:
Draft regulations and a draft impact assessment are published alongside this consultation.
Open consultation: Information about health service products: proposed requirements
23 August 2017, 3:53 pm
The government is seeking views on draft requirements for the provision of information related to the sales and purchases of health service products.
The proposed regulations cover medicines, medical supplies and other related products that are used in the NHS.
The main requirements include:
Draft regulations and a draft impact assessment have been published alongside this consultation.
Guidance: Regenerative medicine: government response to Science and Technology Committee inquiry
23 August 2017, 2:25 pm
This document is the government’s response to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee report of 28 April 2017.
Regenerative medicine involves replacing or regenerating tissues or organs in the human body, in order to restore or establish normal function. Examples include stem cell therapy, gene therapy and tissue engineering.
The response shows how the government is working to create an integrated environment that allows the delivery of therapies and supports the development of a world-leading regenerative medicine industry in the UK.
Policy paper: Tobacco control measures overseas
22 August 2017, 3:31 pm
The government is investing in the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control 2030 project, through Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding, from 2016 to 2021.
This project supports the implementation of tobacco control measures in low and middle income countries.
The business case sets out the reasons for this investment.
Guidance: Medical physics experts recognition scheme
19 July 2017, 11:54 am
Updated: Registration form and guidance added.
How the Department of Health will recognise medical physics experts (MPEs), as required by the EU Basic Safety Standard Directive (BSSD) relating to radiation safety.
We advise MPEs to fill out the form for inclusion on the new MPE list.
Transparency data: Ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and external meetings: 2017
30 June 2017, 8:30 am
Updated: Updated with information from April to June 2017.
Information relating to ministerial gifts and hospitality, overseas travel and meetings for 2017.
Transparency data: Special advisers’ gifts, hospitality and media meetings: 2017
30 June 2017, 8:30 am
Updated: Updated with information for April to June 2017.
This data also covers meetings held with newspaper and media proprietors, editors and senior executives.
Transparency data: NHS Injury Costs Recovery scheme: April 2017 to March 2018
19 June 2017, 11:19 am
Updated: September 2017 figures added.
The NHS Injury Costs Recovery (ICR) scheme aims to recover the cost of NHS treatment where personal injury compensation is paid, for example after a road traffic accident. The Department of Health publishes monthly updates on the amount of money recovered under the ICR.
The Compensation Recovery Unit recovers funds primarily from insurance companies and then pays them to the NHS hospital or ambulance trust that provided the treatment.
National Statistics: Report on abortion statistics in England and Wales for 2016
13 June 2017, 8:30 am
Updated: Updated both documents with corrected tables 10, 11 and 12a.
This report sets out and comments on abortion statistics in England and Wales for 2016.
The statistics are obtained from the abortion notification forms returned to the Chief Medical Officers of England and Wales.
Consultation outcome: Infected blood support: special category mechanism
6 March 2017, 11:24 am
Updated: Added Infected Blood Scheme Reform Affordability impact assessment.
The department has developed a special appeals mechanism, called the special category mechanism (SCM), for people with chronic hepatitis C