“Important improvements” for race equality in health service workforce

The Chief Executive of NHS England has welcomed signs of progress in tackling discrimination among health service staff, but warned of “hard work still ahead” in improving equality for all its workers.

NHS Equality and Diversity Council has published its latest annual report into race equality. The audit provides a comprehensive assessment of the experience of NHS employees from black and minority ethnic (BME) backgrounds, including whether or not they have equal access to career opportunities and receive fair treatment at work.

The 2017 Workforce Race Equality Standard (WRES) shows that an increasing proportion of senior nursing and midwifery posts is being filled by people from BME backgrounds, and that there has been a rise in senior BME leaders. The report confirms that an increasing number of trusts has more than one board member from a BME background, with 25 trusts being represented at board level by three or more people from BME communities.

However, the report highlights areas where the NHS needs to make further progress. Despite significant improvements in board and senior management representation, the overall number of BME background leadership positions is still not proportionate to the number of BME workers at other levels in the organisation.

Full report: NHS Workforce Race Equality Standard: 2017 Data Analysis Report for NHS Trusts

Reasons why people do not attend NHS Health Checks: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis

British Journal of General Practice, Br J Gen Pract 2017; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3399/bjgp17X693929 

Review of 9 qualitative studies reports people do not attend NHS Health Checks because of the lack of awareness, misunderstanding the purpose of the Health Check, aversion to preventive medicine, time constraints, and difficulties with access to general practices.

The findings particularly highlight the need for improved communication and publicity around the purpose of the NHS Health Check programme and the personal health benefits of risk factor detection.

Enhanced health in care homes

Enhanced health in care homes: learning from experiences so far | The King’s Fund

This report draws on published literature about joining up and co-ordinating care homes and health services. It also draws on interviews with a range of providers, local authorities and CCGs. It aims to help care homes and NHS providers (including GPs), local authorities and CCGs who are thinking through how to join up and co-ordinate services locally and how to manage the complexities involved.

The report makes recommendations for extending enhanced health in care homes to all areas, supporting and developing leaders, and ensuring that people living in care homes can access high-quality health care.

Full report: Enhanced health in care homes: learning from experiences so far

Integrated Care Services (iCares). Transforming and Integrating Community Services within admission avoidance, care management and community rehabilitation services

NICE Shared Learning Database

Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust

This summary highlights outcomes from implementation of an integrated care service, a single point of access for service users with long term conditions. It demonstrates how key recommendations from NICE’s guideline for intermediate care (NG74) can be delivered in practice.